The Bright End of Nowhere
by Klitch
Summary: "You're like me, right?" In a crumbling world, Fai finds himself having to confront the consequences of the deal he's made and the choice he's been hiding from.
1. kissing death and losing my breath

**The Bright End of Nowhere**

**Warnings: **Spoilers through Celes

**Notes:** For the 2013 KuroFai Olympics. Original prompt: 'ghost in the machine.'

_oOo_

_It was cold and the wind blew endlessly. He lay in a deep pile of snow, hands and feet numb, covered by the shadow from a high, high tower._

"There was something precious to you there, right? I once had something like that too. That's why I can't forgive the people of this country."

"_Do you want to get out? Out of there." Dimly he was aware of what the consequence of that choice would be, but there was no way to stop those events already in motion. He was only an observer, and could do nothing but watch._

His arms hurt.

"_There are other worlds."_

"Are there? This is the only world I've ever seen. If I could go beyond this world, do you think I could find them again? My lost precious things."

"_If there is a way that can revive the dead, what will you do?"_

"Wait."

"_If there is a way that can revive the dead, what will you do?"_

"What did you answer? Is there a way? Let me see it."

Pain shot up his arms and he thought he might be screaming, even though he couldn't feel his mouth.

"_After that, I will let you go on a journey."_

"Is that it? Is that something I can help with?"

Pain again, and images flashing through his mind so fast he thought he might go mad from it. Words spoken in the past, repeated over and over as if an invisible hand was sifting through them like grains of sand.

"I see. Hey, you're like me, right? If I help you, will you let me have that wish too? You're my friend, all right? I'll do that thing for you, and we can have our wish granted together. How about it?"

And suddenly something was torn from his arms and he was gasping and blinking in the harsh light, feeling as if he'd just surfaced from being underwater for a long, long time.

The dark wall in front of him shifted and opened, and a cold white mask stared back.

oOo

Kurogane swore quietly as he ducked down behind another broken slab of concrete. Something large and gray moved slowly past him, the cracked pavement straining under its weight.

"Kurogane?" a small voice ventured from inside his clothes and Kurogane made a silencing motion, one hand going to the hilt of his sword. He remained perfectly still for a long moment until the sound of creaking metal had faded and then he finally stood, peering out cautiously into the darkness.

"Is it gone?" Mokona's head poked out from beneath his cloak.

"Yeah." Kurogane snorted.

"Kurogane is annoyed?"

"Damn right I'm annoyed," Kurogane snapped. "I don't _hide_ from things that can be fought."

"But Kurogane's sword is no good, right?"

"Shut up," Kurogane grumbled.

The irritating thing was that the white thing was right. The monsters in this place weren't like the kind he was used to. All the ones he had run across so far were made of a strange thick gray metal and the sword that had effortlessly sliced through the hides of much tougher living things barely made so much as a dent in it.

What made things even worse was that the damn things were definitely not _alive_ and it was taking all Kurogane's training to keep out of their way. Living things he had long ago learned to sense, but with these monsters he could only rely on his hearing to tell when they were approaching. And even that was useless against the ones he'd seen swoop down from the sky or clamber around along the tops of decaying buildings. He might have been able to rely on sight but that getting to be almost as much of a problem as everything else. The world they were in had a pitch dark sky save for a long thin red scar that cut across it, the edges a sickly yellow as if the sky itself was mortally wounded. The only lights came from far off in the distance, a wavering orange glow hovering behind dark clouds that had been growing steadily brighter in the last day or so. Every so often there would be a strange streak of blue light that would dance across the sky just in front of it, as if there was some kind of barrier that surrounded the area.

He and Mokona had been here for at least two days, and in that time he had not seen a single sign of any of his companions. He'd landed alone in the middle of three of the machine monsters. Kurogane remembered fighting them, remembered his sword uselessly scratching the metal hulls and then finally managing to do some damage by plunging Souhi into the largest machine's glowing orange eye socket and slicing at whatever wires and circuits he could manage, but things grew fuzzy after that.

He scratched distractedly at the three long thin scars that ran down his right arm. He remembered something sinking into his flesh there, serpentine cables tipped by long thin needles, and then—

—_and then Suwa burning and a sword that came out of nowhere, his mother's blood, his father's arm—_

And then Mokona had been shaking him and he'd woken up surrounded by strange-looking corpses with one of the machines sprawled out on the ground in front of him, a hatchway in its stomach dangling open and a tangle of needle-tipped coils crowded beneath it like intestines. Three of those cables had been on the ground right beside him, the needles still wet with his blood. Mokona had apparently landed not far from where Kurogane had been spat out and had spotted the machine hovering unsteadily over him. It had fallen to its side as Mokona approached — apparently Kurogane had managed to do a little damage to it, at least — and upon finding Kurogane unresponsive Mokona had pulled the needles out of his arm.

They'd been wandering blind since then, trying to find their companions, and Kurogane had just about reached his tolerance point for the crappy world they had fallen into. They had yet to see any people — any _living_ people at any rate — but they'd been under constant threat of attack by the giant machines that seemed to roam the entire world. The place they were in at the moment looked to have once been a fairly large and advanced city, but it was currently abandoned and falling into ruins. It made hiding from the machines easier but it also made it easier for the damn things to sneak up on him if Kurogane dared to let his guard down for even a moment.

Kurogane remained pressed against the concrete slab for a moment more before breathing a cautious sigh of relief and straightening.

"Let's go." Kurogane pulled his black cloak closer over Mokona and began to carefully pick his way across the destroyed street.

"Kurogane…" Mokona's voice was small and miserable. "Do you think everyone else is all right?"

"Let's worry about ourselves for now," Kurogane said gruffly, even as his hand went reflexively to his sword again.

Whatever kind of world this was, it was definitely dangerous. The kid at least had a sword, but Kurogane doubted Hien would be any more effective against the monsters than Souhi had been. The princess would be even worse off, though knowing Sakura Kurogane suspected she would somehow manage to find safety. As for the idiot mage…

Kurogane snorted. Who knew what kind of trouble _that_ guy had probably gotten himself into. Kurogane was looking forward to hitting him as soon as he managed to find the idiot.

"Kurogane!" Mokona's shout and a sudden screaming of wind were the only warning Kurogane had before something large and heavy slammed down into the ground in front of him. Kurogane leapt back out of the way of the flashing metal claws and they sliced through the air inches from his torso.

"Damn it, where the hell are all these things _coming_ from?" Kurogane swore as he pulled out his sword. Useless as it was, it was still better than nothing,

The machine facing him looked somewhat like a large metal cat, its tail a long and coiling piece of cable covered in sharp spikes. It moved towards him a slow, almost dancing motion, tail whipping through the air in a slow circle.

Kurogane raised his sword, prepared to defend, when suddenly a small bright dart of green light hit the monster in the side of the head and it stumbled to one side. Another shot sent it reeling and Kurogane glanced over in the direction of the attack.

A cluster of small dark figures were racing through the shadows towards where the monster was still struggling to remain upright. Several of the attackers held some kind of gun in their hands, shooting out bright shots of green light that pierced holes straight through the monster's metal hide. As they got closer some of the attackers pulled out something that looked vaguely like a sword, but the blade was made of thin pulsing red light instead of cold steel. Unlike Kurogane's sword, the light swords were slashing through the metal hull of the monster as easily as if it was thin flesh.

The figures themselves were dressed almost completely in black, with flowing capes and hoods pulled up over their heads. Covering their faces were smooth white masks that obscured all of their features. There were no nose or mouth holes, only thin black-lined slivers cut out for the eyes. Through the darkness Kurogane could almost make out different expressions painted on each face — smiles, grimaces, open-mouthed surprise, each splashed across the white surface like black scars.

There was movement behind him and Kurogane tensed. Someone was coming towards him, someone _living,_ not another metal monster. He heard the sound of shoes crunching on gravel and waited just a moment for the unknown presence to get closer before whirling around to face the approacher, drawing his sword as he did so.

He found himself staring down the barrel of a gun, the tip of his sword inches from the holder's throat.

The person facing him was human-shaped, but considerably taller and wider than any humans Kurogane had ever met. Its fingers were long and slim, tipped with silver claws, and its eyes were slitted like a cat's. The person had pale fish-white skin marked with black slashes along the cheeks and its hair was styled in thick black braids like cables that fell down its back. Unlike the masked figures, this one wore neither mask nor cape. Its black clothes were dotted with bright blue lights that seemed to move across the surface like sparks.

"Well, well." The voice was deep and masculine with a gruff edge to it. "What we got here? Imris Garan find somethin' interesting on the hunt today. You don't look like you belong here, stray dog. How long Little Brother be feedin' on you, I wonder?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes and kept his sword aimed at the other's throat, prepared to strike before the man could shoot if necessary. He could feel Mokona burrowing itself deeper inside his cloak, unnoticed by the stranger.

"Not so smart, stray dog, to be hangin' 'round Eastpoint if you don't know Little Brother," Imris Garan said in reply. He gestured with his head towards the monster, which had been brought to its knees by the masked figures and was twitching spasmodically. Several more figures without hoods or masks were approaching it now, their clothes covered in the same sparking blue lights as the man Kurogane was facing. "The reaper. How long you been inside it?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Kurogane repeated coldly. "I don't even know what the hell it _is._"

"Then you definitely not from 'round here, stray dog." Imris Garan laughed but didn't lower his gun. "You gonna fight reapers with that little bit o' steel? Ain't nothin' can score that hide but laser burns. Anyone left alive in Eastpoint knows that. Even the Faceless know that."

Even as he spoke one of the masked figures broke away from the group and approached them, holstering its gun as it came. This one was noticeably shorter and thinner than the man Kurogane was facing, and its mask was completely white with no expression painted on. Imris Garan gave the newcomer a disgusted look and made a quick gesture with his hands.

"You got work to do still," Imris Garan said darkly. "Don't be messin' with no stray dogs. Unless he's one of _yours_, huh? Is that it?" The man's slitted tiger-eyes glared sharply at the masked figure, who made a conciliatory gesture with its hands. Kurogane noticed that even the figure's slim hands were covered with thin black gloves.

"I don't answer to _you_, Faceless with a face." Imris Garan made a slicing motion with his hands. The masked man nodded and made another gesture of apology, then pointed at Kurogane and made another complicated motion with his hands. Imris Garan wrinkled his nose in disgust and sliced his hands again. "I ain't takin' no dog home. He can fend for himself."

The masked man made another gesture and then touched the edges of his mask, running a finger along the black-lined holes that had been cut for his eyes. Kurogane's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he followed the motion.

"I don't care what Edras Agra says, he ain't here," Imris Garan argued, slicing his hands a third time. The masked man placed one hand on the gun, lowering it, and pointed to himself and then to Kurogane. Imris Garan rolled his eyes in clear irritation as he pointed sharply at the masked figure. "Fine, fine. But _you_ be takin' charge of him when we get back to the underground, and _you_ be talkin' to Edras Agra. I ain't got time for this." He made another sharp hand gesture and stormed back towards where the rest of the group was finishing off the monster.

The masked man watched him go for a moment and then turned back to Kurogane, gesturing for him to stay put. Now that he had moved closer, Kurogane was at last able to get a clear view of the familiar blue eyes shining out at him from behind the mask.

He started to say something and the masked man put a finger to his lips in a silencing motion. Kurogane crossed his arms but closed his mouth anyway, sheathing his sword. He could almost _see_ the amused smile radiating out from behind the mask as the figure turned and went back to assist the rest of the group.

"Kurogane?" Mokona's voice floated out timidly from underneath his cloak. "That was…"

"I know," Kurogane said, sharp eyes following the masked figure as it joined the the others around the downed machine. He still had no idea what was going on in this place. For now all he could do was trust in the people who had just saved him.

But who knew what the hell that stupid magician had gotten him into _this_ time.

oOo

Eventually the strangers seemed to be satisfied with the condition of the downed machine and began to regroup. Kurogane kept a sharp eye on the lean cloaked figure he knew to be Fai as the magician began to gather up the rest of the masked people, looking for all the world like a sheepdog herding sheep. Those without masks seemed to be assisting him, each taking charge of one or two masked figures and leading them away. One of the unmasked people broke from the group and approached Kurogane. This one had the same cat-like eyes and dark hair as Imris Garan.

"This way, stray dog." The voice was female and mildly amused. "Atta Gaval gonna be your escort 'til we get back underground. Follow me. Ain't safe up here no more, with the reapers around, eatin' and killin' everyone unlucky enough to get in the way."

"I still have no idea what any of your people are talking about," Kurogane muttered, irritated. He was getting sick of people talking about things as if he was supposed to understand them. Atta Gaval eyed him curiously and then gave a bark of laughter.

"You really are a stray dog, ain't you?" she said. "That thing you was about to be killed by, that's a reaper. Anythin' machine and big enough to eat a person we give that name to. Usually it's your _grave_, stray dog. You a lucky one, we get to you in time. And your friend in the mask, who spoke for you…well, he somethin' different all together. But that's his problem, and no business of yours or mine. Now, you at least know how to ride one o' these things?"

They had reached a small cluster of vehicles, sleek black motorcycles big enough to hold two people. The bright blue lights illuminating their wheels and handlebars were the only things that made it possible to see them through the darkness.

"I'll take that one as no," Atta Gaval said off his stare. "Well, hop on back, stray dog, and hold on tight to me. This is fast-movin' stuff, not like that thing you just fightin'. Little Brother don't got no sense of style, not like we do."

"If you're so worried about the damn monsters," Kurogane said, eying the motorcycle suspiciously, "why the hell do you have all those lights on that thing? You might as well paint a bullseye on it."

"No problem if they can see us, they gotta _catch_ us first," Atta Gaval laughed, pulling herself into the driver's seat. Nearby Kurogane could see Fai sitting sidesaddle on the back of the motorcycle being steered by Imris Garan. "Not too many reapers fast enough to catch one of _these,_ long as we can see 'em comin' first. Now, hop on, unless you wanna stay here and beg for scraps in the streets. No skin offa my nose either way."

"I'm coming." Kurogane carefully climbed into the seat behind her.

"Better hold onto the bars in front of you," Atta Gaval said. "We move _fast_ and we don't got time to go after anyone who can't stay in their seat. You fall, you stay behind. Got it?"

Kurogane glared darkly at the back of her head but steadied his hold anyway, making certain that Mokona was still hidden safely underneath his cloak.

"You gonna regret that attitude, stray dog. Here we go." Atta Gaval's laughter floated back to him a moment before she hit the engine and the motorcycle burst into motion.

Only his hands on the bars in front of him kept Kurogane from flying off as the cycle accelerated abruptly. The wind screamed as it blew by his ears and the lights on the side of the motorcycle were nothing more than a bright flash in the night as they all but flew over the broken ground.

"Never been on something like this before, eh, stray dog?" Atta Gaval laughed, her voice barely heard above the howling wind. "Hold tight, we got some tight corners comin'!"

She had barely spoken the words when the motorcycle lurched abruptly to the right, nearly going vertical as they slid under a half-fallen beam. Scenery flew past them so fast Kurogane could barely get a good look at it, the motorcycle swerving this way and that around corners and flying over rubble with unexpected ease. Surrounding them Kurogane could see several other streaks of light, the only indication of the other cycles keeping pace with them.

The motorcycle swerved low again and then they were sliding into a small alcove and straight into a tunnel Kurogane hadn't even seen between two crumbling buildings. The cycle flew easily down half-destroyed stairs and landed with a small spray of water into a large curved tunnel that looked like it had once been used for a subway train. Beneath a thin layer of moldy water Kurogane could see the dim outline of long-rusted iron tracks.

The headlights from the cycle were the only thing lighting their way now but Atta Gaval seemed to know exactly where she was going, navigating the tunnels with ease. At last she began to slow the motorcycle and they slid to an easy stop as they emerged into what looked like the dusty, crumbling remains of an old train station.

"And this be as far as you go, stray dog." Atta Gaval gestured for him to get off the bike as other motorcycles slid out of the darkness behind them. Atta Gaval immediately turned away from Kurogane and went to help with the masked figures, all of whom were milling about aimlessly in the ankle-deep water as if they had no idea what to do or where to go.

All but one. Fai neatly jumped off the back of his motorcycle and splashed over to Kurogane, motioning for him to follow. Kurogane glanced back at Imris Garan, who was glaring darkly at them both, but no one made any move to stop them. Fai was already climbing up a ladder onto the subway platform, waiting impatiently for him to follow. When Kurogane would have spoken Fai put a finger to the part on his mask where the mouth would have been, shushing him again and indicating for Kurogane to follow as he began to make his way across the platform.

He led Kurogane through an old iron door to a creaky wooden ladder that led upwards into a small brick-lined alcove. As he emerged into the room Kurogane saw immediately why it had been given to Fai — the room was small and circular with a roof so low even Kurogane had to duck slightly as he entered. The tall, broad-shouldered people of this world would be far too cramped in a space like this. The room was lined with blank screens and there was a lumpy bed in the center that took up most of the floor space.

"All right," Kurogane said at last, crossing his arms. "Enough of this crap. What the hell is going on here?"

"Really, Kuro-sama," Fai's impeccably cheerful voice replied as the mage at last pulled down his hood and removed the white mask, revealing bright blue eyes and an unwavering smile. "You're always so _impatient_."

oOo

"Fai!" A white streak darted out from beneath Kurogane's cloak as Mokona launched itself into Fai's arms. "Is Fai okay?"

"I'm all right, I'm all right," Fai said soothingly but Kurogane thought there was a slight edge to his voice. Now that Fai had removed the mask, Kurogane noted that there seemed to be something a little…off about the other man, something strained and hollow that seemed to be stretching him even thinner than usual. "These people have been taking good care of me. We couldn't understand each other very well since I don't speak their language, but we came to a general understanding."

"They didn't seem to like you much," Kurogane noted. "What's with the mask?"

"Ah, that." Fai shrugged, forcedly casual. "Just a formality, Kuro-sama. These people don't think it's wise to show your face above, that's all."

"The guy with the gun didn't seem to have a problem with that," Kurogane said, undeterred. Fai had already turned away from him, facing one of the screens that lined the far wall. He pressed one palm against the surface and shaking white lines appeared on the screen.

"That's a bit different," Fai said, turning back with a smile. "It's a little hard to explain, Kuro-tan, and I'm not completely sure about most of it but here's the general idea of it that I've managed to put together." He pressed a finger against the screen and it went black, a small dot of blue light appearing where his finger touched the glass. Fai dragged his finger across the surface, drawing a line with the blue light. He drew a crude circle surrounded by four rounded protrusions, an image that looked somewhat like a compass on a map. "This country is made up of five areas. The middle one here" — he pressed a finger into the center of the circle — "and then the four outer districts: Northpoint, Southpoint, Westpoint and Eastpoint. We're in Eastpoint." He tapped the protrusion on the eastern side of the circle. "The people here were apparently fairly technologically advanced. They created some kind of machine — I'm not really sure what exactly it was, they couldn't really tell me in a way I'd understand, not without Mokona nearby — that they called 'Mother.' It's in the main center city. The outer areas all got their own smaller machines, the 'Little Brothers.'" As he spoke the words Kurogane noted Fai's eyes widening just slightly in surprise and a darkly amused smile coming over his face, and it occurred to Kurogane that Fai had likely been unaware of what exactly the names given to the machines had meant until just this moment. "Anyway, I suppose they…went out of control? I'm not really sure exactly." He gave a shrug that seemed far too calculating for Kurogane's liking. "You saw the scar in the sky when we got here? Mother did that. And I think it…_did_ something to the people here, somehow. The thing we saved you from earlier, the reaper…that's the name these people give to the agents of Mother and the Little Brothers. They catch people and inject them with those needle things. The people of this country who evaded capture made some kind of underground resistance to try and destroy Mother."

"So that's where this place is?" Kurogane said, raising an eyebrow. "You're helping them with that?"

"Don't be silly, Kuro-rin," Fai said with a laugh. "They destroyed Mother nearly a week ago."

"But those whatever the hell you just called them are still out there."

"Exactly," Fai said. "When Mother was destroyed, it couldn't supply power to the reapers or the Little Brother machines anymore. Apparently the Little Brothers of the other three point cities have already stopped working. Only this one is still functioning…almost as if it had some alternate source of power."

"The princess's feather." The answer came immediately and Fai nodded.

"Apparently this one's been acting strange for days," Fai continued, and Kurogane noted that he'd turned his back so that Kurogane could not see his expression. "Normally the reapers capture anyone who goes above and take them to Little Brother, but lately they've been attacking and killing more people than they've been capturing. Kuro-sama was lucky we showed up just in time. Your sword hasn't been doing any good, right?"

Kurogane glared at him in reply and Fai laughed.

"This isn't a normal world," Fai said. "That sort of weapon is no good here, I think. We'll have to get you a better one before we leave."

"Leave for what?" Kurogane asked suspiciously. Fai whirled to face him, bright smile fixed back in place.

"To destroy Little Brother, of course!" Fai said it as if it he was discussing a picnic. "I did promise these people I would take care of it."

"You idiot," Kurogane snapped. "How the hell do you think we're going to do that? My sword doesn't work on those things!" He paused. "Unless you plan on using _magic_ on them."

"Don't be silly, Kuro-rin." Fai waved a hand dismissively. "I haven't got any sort of power like that, and besides these people don't even know what magic _is._ They'll supply us with weapons. After all, they're all leaving."

"Leaving?"

"You saw the sky? The fire in the distance?" Fai leaned back against the wall. "That's from Centerpoint. The fire's been burning since they destroyed Mother. We've lost contact with all the other cities. There are electronic barriers around each city that run on power independent from Mother's systems but they won't hold for long. This is a dead city, Kuro-rin. They expect the fire to reach us in a few days. Once it does, it will burn until there's nothing left. Even these underground places won't be safe."

"But what about Sakura and Syaoran?" Mokona whimpered. "If we don't find them…."

"Don't worry." Fai patted Mokona reassuringly on the head. "I know where they are." He glanced back at Kurogane. "These people have eyes on the citadel that's Little Brother's main stronghold. A while ago it underwent some kind of big change, restructuring itself into a different form and we lost contact. But one of the last images they were able to show me was definitely Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun. Nothing's left that place since. They should still be there."

"So if we go after this Little Brother thing, we can get the kids and the feather," Kurogane said.

"Exactly. Kuro-rin! That's why I volunteered. There's not enough time to reach the citadel and come back before the fire catches up. I had hoped Kuro-sama and Mokona would be there as well, and then once I met up with all of you there wouldn't be a need for a way back." He looked down for a moment, expression unreadable. "There won't be time to go back, so you'll have to come with me. I can't leave you here where it's safe."

"If you thought I was going to hide here like a coward you're a bigger idiot than I thought," Kurogane stated. Fai didn't look up.

"I know," he said softly, forced cheer obvious in his voice. "You'll have to come above with me. But it'll be dangerous, Kuro-rin. You have to be prepared."

"I'm not scared," Kurogane said, gaze steady.

"I didn't say you were." Fai smiled at him. "Ignore me, Kuro-tan. I'm just an idiot, after all."

The sound of someone climbing up the ladder made Mokona dive under the bed as Fai hurriedly pulled on his cloak and mask. Imris Garan's scowling face appeared over the edge of hatchway, his eyes darting briefly to Kurogane before moving back to Fai..

"You." He pointed curtly at Fai. "Come on. Edras Agra want to talk to you."

Fai nodded and rose. Imris Garan immediately glared at Kurogane when the ninja rose to do the same.

"Not you, stray dog. This invitation for Faceless _alone._ We deal with you later."

Kurogane opened his mouth to say something back and Fai put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. The magician indicated to Imris Garan that he should go on ahead and that Fai would follow, and the other man snorted derisively in response.

"Fine. Don't dawdle, Faceless."

Imris Garan's face disappeared from view and Fai relaxed slightly.

"Edras Agra is the leader of these people," Fai said in a low voice. "We need his permission if we want to leave. Let me handle it."

"Try not to get us imprisoned, that's all I ask," Kurogane said darkly.

"Kuro-rin's so _mean,_" Fai whimpered. "No faith at all. You should be more trusting, Kuro-tan."

"I don't need to hear that sort of thing from _you._"

Fai laughed as he removed his hand from Kurogane's shoulder, moving towards the ladder. Kurogane suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Kuro-tan?" Fai stared down at him in surprise as Kurogane pulled back Fai's long black sleeves, revealing the bandages wrapped around his arms.

"How long?" Kurogane asked slowly. The scars on his own arms itched, but he didn't let go of Fai's wrist.

"Not long." Fai pulled his arm away, his expression completely hidden by the mask. "It's nothing, Kuro-sama."

"What did you see?" Kurogane said. "While it had you?"

"What did _you_ see?" Fai replied smoothly. "Don't worry so much, Kuro-tan. It's nothing."

With that he disappeared down the hatchway, leaving Kurogane staring after him.

oOo

Syaoran turned another corner, keeping one hand on the wall as he went. His head hurt and he was covered in bruises but he couldn't let himself rest, not while the princess was still missing.

_Princess…_ His hands clenched for a moment in frustration and worry. They had been trapped in the strange citadel for what had to be at least two days, following a maze-like series of halls and secret doorways, hidden ladders and sudden trapdoors, trying desperately to find a way out in order to find their companions. They had been together until only a short time ago when suddenly the entire building had begun to shake. The floor beneath them had cracked in two and the walls crumbled and fell, almost as if the entire building was breaking apart and re-forming itself into something new. The last thing Syaoran remembered was reaching for Sakura's hand when something heavy had struck him from behind and he'd lost consciousness. He'd woken up alone in a completely darkened hallway with a low ceiling and no apparent door. It had taken him hours of feeling around in the dark before he'd managed to find a small hatchway and had climbed through it. Ever since then he'd been wandering the place alone, trying to find Sakura.

Something bright caught his eye and he increased his pace. He'd barely seen any lights at all while wandering in this place other than the occasional flash of orange from somewhere off in the distance. There was an opening just up ahead of him and he could see light pouring in from around it.

He ran forward and just managed to stop himself before he would have fallen. The floor dropped away immediately outside the doorway and Syaoran took a quick step back, staring.

He seemed to have found the very center of the building. In front of him was a vast circular room, the walls all made of metal and cable, dotted all around with sheets of glowing orange glass that looked as though they had been cut from a lantern. Smaller bursts of light shot upwards along the walls and there were strange creatures made of machinery everywhere — giant monsters with gnashing teeth and thick limbs crawled along the walls, claws making deep scores in the metal. Tinier creatures ran between them, metal mockeries of mice and birds and even insects, all moving both upwards and downwards throughout the circle with mindless urgency. Looking down Syaoran couldn't even see the ground, only a deep drop occasionally crossed by thin pipes or metal beams. Above him he could just make out the ceiling, hung with what appeared to be a network of giant metal lamps. They hung from an extensive array of beams so thick it looked like a giant metal spiderweb. More orange lights burned from inside the lamps, making shadows on the walls.

One shadow was moving differently from the others. It was small and moved like a living creature, not a machine.

"Princess…" Syaoran glanced around quickly and his eyes fell upon a series of metal rungs just to his right, leading upwards. He reached over and swung himself onto the ladder, willing himself not to look down.

Steeling himself, Syaoran began to climb.

oOo

"Al…most…there…aah!" Sakura gave a small cry as she hit the ground hard. She sat up with a groan, rubbing her head as she looked upwards once again.

The place she was in seemed almost like a giant metal lamp. There was an orange cone-shaped light bulb in the center of the lamp that glowed with a warm light and the walls were all made of frosted glass. Above her the roof was made of a series of criss-crossed metal bars. There was just enough room between them that someone of her size should be able to slip through the bars and escape the lamp, if only she could reach them.

The lamp didn't seem to have been originally made as a cage but even so someone had prepared it for her as such. There was long flat bench along one side and several small chairs, even a table. Ever since she'd woken up to find herself here alone, Sakura had tried stacking them in various ways in the hopes that she could climb high enough to grab onto the bars and pull herself out.

"One more time!" Sakura told herself encouragingly. She didn't know where she was exactly or who had put her here, but she knew that she couldn't wait around for someone to come find her. The last she'd seen of Syaoran he'd been falling to the ground after being hit by a piece of debris. She had tried to reach him but the floor had split under her feet and she'd been thrown backwards. She didn't know where Syaoran was now but she knew that she couldn't just sit around and wait, not when she didn't know if he was all right or not. And she hadn't seen Fai, Kurogane or Mokona ever since they'd landed. Sakura knew that they were likely looking for her and just as worried about her as she was about them. Therefore, she had decided right away that she couldn't simply wait to be rescued.

Carefully she clambered onto the makeshift ladder, balancing precariously on the top chair. The bars were above her head, just out of reach. Sakura took a moment to be sure of her balance and then jumped.

"Aah!" Her hands missed the nearest bar by just a hair and she fell back onto the ground, landing hard enough to knock the wind out of her body for a moment. Sakura lay there on her back, breathing shakily.

"One more time," she told herself again, sitting up gingerly.

"You can't get out." It was a child's voice and Sakura immediately straightened, looking around.

"Is-is someone there?" she called nervously.

"You can't get out." The voice came from by her feet and she looked down to see a small metal bird sitting there, looking up at her sidelong out of one glowing orange eye. It hopped forward like a living bird would, head cocking curiously in a mockery of life. "You're here because you have to stay safe until my friend comes. So you have to stay where you are."

"I can't do that," Sakura told it, reaching out her palm so that it could jump into her hand. "My friends are looking for me."

"Looking?" The bird cocked its head at her again as she lifted it up to eye level. "Then you should wait until they find you. It's safer if you wait here, you know."

"They could be in trouble, though," Sakura said. "And…and I don't want to just sit here and do nothing, if they're in trouble." Syaoran's face flashed through her mind, his eyes wide as he fell away from her. "If there's something I can do to help them, I want to try."

"But you're important," the bird insisted. "An important piece to grant my wish. So you have to stay."

"Your wish?" Sakura asked curiously.

"A very important wish," the bird said. Its small wings suddenly started to flap as it leapt back into the air. "The most important wish of all, the one all people want granted and never can have. But I will. It will work for me. As soon as I find the person I'm looking for, we're going to have our wishes granted together. So you need to stay safe here, where I can find you. Don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you here." The bird began to fly upward towards the gap in the bars.

"Wait!" Sakura reached a hand after it but it had already disappeared. She stared after it for a long moment ans then turned back to look at her makeshift ladder.

"One more time," she said firmly. "I'll try one more time."


	2. midnight hours, cobblestreet passages

**The Bright End of Nowhere **Part Two

oOo

Fai followed Imris Garan through the tunnel towards Edras Agra's quarters. Neither one of them spoke but even so Fai could _feel_ the hostility radiating off the other man in waves.

He supposed that couldn't be helped. Everything was all Fai's fault, after all.

The place that was currently being used a headquarters by these people had once been some sort of train station. The tunnels led all around the city and were difficult for the reapers to enter, making it an ideal hiding place. The trains, of course, no longer worked but some of the cars still remained. Edras Agra lived in one of these, a long line of six interconnected silver cars all covered in a fine layer of rust and grime. The door to the main car hung open slightly on its hinges and Imris Garan stopped in front of it, gesturing for Fai to go through.

"I'll be waitin' out here, so don't get no ideas, Faceless," the man spat as Fai went past. Fai didn't even look at him, pulling the black cloak closer over his head.

The floor creaked slightly as he stepped into the car. A cluster of figures in the corner glanced up briefly and then turned back to the small pile of colored glass shards they were sifting through as if putting together a puzzle. All wore black cloaks the same as Fai's and all of their faces were totally smooth and bone-white, no different than the masks they normally wore. Only their eyes gave any indication that they had faces at all.

Fai paused for just a moment to stare at them. Each one had bandages covering their arms and Fai could almost see the three familiar long scars along their forearms. His own bandages itched and he resisted the urge to touch them. Fai quickly lowered his head and walked past without another word.

The next several cars were the same, filled with the Faceless clustered together like crows, all remaining close to each other and following each other's lead perfectly as if unable to separate from the group at all. Each car was filled with small baubles and colorful items, the kind one might give to a small child to keep them amused, and these the Faceless crowded around in fascination. The only normal person Fai passed was a man in the second to last car, who from what Fai understood was tasked with taking care of the Faceless when they were not being sent on missions. He nodded at Fai as the magician slipped past him and into the final car.

Edras Agra was laid out on the bench in the far end of the car, watching Fai with keen golden eyes. The man was enormous, even by the standards of this world's people, and Fai knew from experience that he was far more intelligent and dangerous than anyone else in the underground. Imris Garan might wave around a gun and make threats, Edras Agra had no need. Reaching an understanding with anyone in this place had been difficult without Mokona around but Edras Agra had been different. The two of them understood each other, even without speaking the same language.

"You can remove it." Edras Agra's voice was deep and smooth, like a rumble of thunder. Fai smiled wryly and pulled off his mask but did not lower his cloak from around his head. "Imris Garan tell me you found a stray dog, huh?"

"More like a cute black puppy, really," Fai said breezily. If Edras Agra was surprised to hear him speaking the language the man didn't show it. He simply nodded and motioned for Fai to step closer.

"Fires still comin'." Edras Agra stood and pressed his hand against one of the screens on the wall. It immediately lit up, showing an image of the ruined city walls and the fires burning just inches beyond them. Fai could still see the slight electric shimmer in the air indicating that the barrier was still in place. "Won't hold for long, that barrier. It runs on independent power but even that power got its limits. Soon we be smoked out, same as the rest of the country. Been readyin' what transportation we can, boats and such. If we can't stay in the city, our only hope lies in the belief that somethin' more exists beyond the sea that surrounds us."

"What about them?" Fai glanced back the way he had come.

"The Faceless?" Edras Agra shrugged. "That is a question, don't you think otherwise. The Faceless, they ain't got no wills of their own, no memories, no emotions proper. They just go where they're told. We can try to take them in the boats, but who knows if they go? They only move with purpose when the reapers about. Like they know what was taken from them and they want it back. Ain't gonna happen, though. Mother, Little Brother…they weren't made to give up that stuff. Anyone get eaten by a reaper, that's the end. Ain't no one survived intact after bein' taken for more'n half a day or so." He looked back at Fai, who kept his expression calm and his gaze steady. "Cept you, of course. How long was it, boy?"

"Three days," Fai said evenly.

"Right, three days." Edras Agra nodded, as if he hadn't already known that answer. "We drag you out from a tomb, boy. The only one alive, much less with a face. But those needles, they sink _deep_ into you. You were a tasty meal, I think. And Little Brother ain't been the same ever since." His manner was deceptively casual as he moved closer to where Fai stood. "He doesn't take a meal the way he used to. Them reapers…they don't grab no more, don't bring him the meal. They look and they hunt and they _kill_. Like they lookin' for someone, and anyone who ain't that someone ain't worth sparin'."

"Really?" Fai cocked his head and kept his tone light. "That's really interesting! I don't know anything about these machines of yours, you know. I'm not from here, after all. I'm just a traveler."

_A traveler on a long, long journey that will have to reach its end sooner or later. And how much time do you really think you have left?_

"So you've said." Edras Agra regarded him critically and Fai kept smiling blandly. "You still plan on destroyin' Little Brother? You and your stray dog partner?"

"Kuro-rin's really more like back-up," Fai said. "The muscle, if you will." He lowered his gaze for a moment, smile faltering just slightly. "I'd leave him here if I could…but there won't be time, will there? We have to go together, or not at all." He shook his head as if to clear it and turned back to Edras Agra with the smile back in full force. "Well, anyway. We can take care of it, as long as you'll give me what I need."

"I plan to," Edras Agra said easily, and Fai couldn't stop making a small start of surprise. Edras Agra laughed. "You think I'm bad as all that then, boy? I told you, we ain't stayin' in this place much longer. We need supplies, not weapons that run on dwindlin' power cells. The bikes ain't gonna do us no good across the water. I'll give you enough to get you across the Graveyard and towards the tower, no worries on that score."

"Tower?" Fai said, trying not to show the sudden foreboding that was spreading in his mind. "But it was…"

"The citadel's changed," Edras Agra said, nodding. "Not long after we pulled you out. We thought Little Brother was finally shuttin' down and fallin' apart like all the others but we was wrong. It's reconstructed itself into somethin' new. Shouldn't hinder you none. Citadel or tower, either way you gotta find the power cells at the heart and destroy it. Once you do that, Little Brother be done with. Ain't no one comin' back from that place, though. Even without rest, it will take a day at least to cross the Graveyard and reach the tower. By the time you get the heart and get out, the fire already gonna be there, and ain't no outrunning _that._ You got a plan for that, stranger?"

"Oh, I have a couple ideas," Fai said, waving a hand. "I'm touched by your concern, Edras Agra."

"Ain't no concern." Edras Agra's golden eyes bored into Fai's, and Fai never wavered. "I just wonder, what kinda person it is who agrees to take a suicide mission for strangers. What kinda person can be eaten by _that_ and come out not only with a face, not only with a _self_, but even just with his sanity. Interestin' thing indeed." He smiled, the look almost feral. "You know, boy, I helped make Mother. You know what her purpose was, when we built her?"

"I couldn't guess," Fai said, not so much as flinching even as Edras Agra began to circle around him.

"To take away bad dreams." Edras Agra laughed again. "Sound silly, right? Maybe it was. We wanted to use it for children that been suffering from things no one should, to take away what scared them and make them happy again so they could live regular lives. But code don't work that way, and neither do people. The machine got away from us. She take everything and keep only the bad, none of the good, and leave you with nothin' at all, not even a face. Little Brothers work the same. Soon they start takin' anyone with even the smallest bit of bad feeling in them, eat 'em up, spit 'em out. You'd think takin' in so much bad stuff, that would affect them, right? But Mother, Little Brother….they just machines, in the end. Can't do nothin' more than what they're built for. Eat the memories, store 'em to the proper circuits and flush them out on a regular basis, just like we programmed 'em to do. Eastpoint Little Brother, though…he different. I noticed it not long ago after Mother went boom and it been gettin' worse ever since you came. Little Brother don't process that right. It _remembers_. And it changes, from takin' in those memories. So then it take all of the bad, of all my people, and it nearly crushes under its own weight…and then you come along, and that's the weight that breaks it. It never been the same, since we took you out. You know that. I know that. So I wonder…what did it take from you, stranger? What dreams did you dream, when those needles in your arm?"

—_a high cold tower and a deep black pit—_

—_snow that never ceases, bodies that never rot—_

—_misfortune, always—_

—_and above all, a wish more important than life-_

"_Hey, you're like me, right?"_

Fai simply stared coolly back at him, silent.

Edras Agra returned that gaze for a long moment before giving a great bark of unpleasant laughter.

"What I thought," he said at last. "Well, you keep your secrets, Faceless boy. I seen enough to guess. Go get some sleep. Tomorrow you and your stray dog, you go take care of Little Brother for us. This is farewell for us both. I won't be seein' you again."

Fai nodded and turned to go. He paused in the doorway, staring at the Faceless gathered in the corner of the next room.

"Do they ever go back?" he wondered aloud. "To what they were, I mean."

"No one know," Edras Agra said with a shrug. "We ain't like you, boy. We can live wearin' nothin' but a mask forever. If they ever able to take that mask off…that, no one know. You tell me, stranger."

"Well…who knows that, after all," Fai said with a quiet laugh. "Thank you for your help."

He reached over to pull his mask back on and paused.

"One more favor, if I can. Are there any other masks I can borrow?"

oOo

The room was dark and Fai lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Something was scuffling in the darkness.

Imris Garan had insisted on moving Kurogane to another room, claiming he didn't want them running off together in the night, and Fai had sent Mokona with him. It was just as well, Fai supposed — his room was small and spare, and there was barely room for even one person as it was. They would have had to sleep close together if Kurogane had stayed in his room and Fai didn't think he could quite handle that. Not this time, not in this place.

Something was moving in the darkness again and Fai reached out towards the table beside the bed, taking hold of his mask and pulling it over his face as he rose.

"There you are." The voice in the dark was small and had a metallic quality to it. There was something distinctly childlike about it. "I've been looking for you, all this time."

"I know," Fai said quietly.

"I thought we had a deal." The tone was pleading now. "You're going to help me right? You said you would help. I already have the others in a safe place. Once we find that person…"

"You don't need to do that," Fai cut the voice off sharply. "It…isn't time yet."

"But it will be time soon, right? He's already being a hindrance, right? That journey can't go on forever, you know that. It has to end, and then you'll have to do it."

"You don't know anything about that."

"But you haven't done what you were supposed to. I'll do it for you, if you don't want to do it. That was our deal, right?"

"It's not necessary yet." The lie felt cold in his mouth and Fai rose from the bed. He felt around until his hands closed over a small pin light. He shone it towards the rustling shadows.

"But that's just a lie, right? You can't know those things," the voice said, as if every word it spoke was completely logical. It was neither angry nor accusing, simply curious. "You shouldn't lie. You're like me, all alone, a separated part of a whole. That's why you need to bring him back, right? But you can't do that while that person is here, and alive."

"That's none of your concern." Fai could see it now, a lump of black in the far corner. He reached for the gun he'd left on the other side of the bed.

"That's why I'll kill him for you," the voice said, eager now. "For _us._ You're like me, right? You understand. We can make our wish come true, if only we do that. That man in the snow, he promised you. If he can grant that wish for you, he can grant it for me too. All we have to do-"

The beam from the pin light shone on a small mechanical rat, hunched in the corner of the room. Fai aimed and shot.

The creature broke apart into a pile of metal and wires and the lights of its eyes went out. Fai stared at the wreckage for a long time before laying aside the gun and returning to bed.

There would be much to do tomorrow. It was best to get some sleep while he could.

oOo

"Why the hell do I have to wear this crap?" Kurogane muttered as he pulled on a black glove.

"Camouflage, Kuro-sama, camouflage!" Fai said happily as he threw a black cloak over Kurogane's shoulders. "You don't want to get eaten by the big nasty machines, do you?"

"Mokona wants camouflage too!" Mokona piped up from inside Kurogane's cloak.

"Shut up, you," Kurogane grumbled, glancing sharply in the direction of several of the other denizens of the underground who were standing around nearby watching them get ready.

"Kuro-sama's cloak will be perfect camouflage for you, Mokona," Fai said with a laugh, pulling his mask closer over his face.

"The rest of the people with you last night weren't wearing these things," Kurogane grumbled sourly.

"But we'll be outside more this time, so it's more dangerous," Fai pointed out. He reached under his own cloak, digging around in the inner pockets for a moment. "Oh, and I found you the perfect mask, Kuro-tan! Look!"

He proudly brandished a white mask similar to his own. Drawn on the front was a mouth similar to that of a cartoon dog, complete with whiskers.

"Won't Kuro-sama look _adorable_ in this, Mokona?" Fai said happily.

"Just like a big puppy should!" Mokona agreed.

"I am _not_ wearing a damn mask," Kurogane stated flatly. Fai pressed it into his hands anyway, pulling up his own mask so that Kurogane could see the expression on his face. He was still smiling, but there was something ferocious in it now.

"Once we're above, Kuro-sama, you should wear it," he said in low tones. "Trust me."

"Trust _you_?" Kurogane snorted but didn't push the mask back at him, tucking it inside his cloak. Fai laughed as he pulled his mask back over his face.

"So _mean,_ Kuro-tan. After I made it special for you and everything."

"You two look like you're havin' fun here," an unimpressed voice said. Kurogane noted that Fai immediately fell back into a subdued pose as Imris Garan strode up to them, shouldering two packs. He handed one to Fai and pushed the other at Kurogane. "Here. The supplies Edras Agra promised."

Fai dipped his head in thanks, opening up his pack and giving the contents a quick once over.

"We got transportation for you, too," Imris Garan said, turning. Two other people were coming over to join them, dragging one of the motorcycles between them. Imris Garan eyed Kurogane coldly. "You know how to drive, stray dog?"

"Me?" Kurogane said. "Why the hell do I have to-"

"You wanna let _Faceless_ drive?" Imris Garan laughed, shaking his head. "You don't know what you in for then, stray dog. But that no skin off my nose. You all die, ain't my problem. We leavin' this dump anyway. Doesn't matter none what Little Brother does to us now. Edras Agra just lettin' you do this because he feels some kinda responsibility or some shit for this thing. It's nothin' to the rest of us. Any of our people haven't made it to these tunnels by now, they dead anyway." He turned to go without even glancing back. "You can go whenever you're ready. No need to wish you good luck cause there ain't no such thing in this place. You wanna go to your graves, you can go anytime."

With that he disappeared through the nearest doorway, leaving Kurogane and Fai alone.

"Well, that was a pleasant goodbye," Fai said cheerfully. He was still digging through the pack he'd been given. "I didn't think they'd give us a cycle."

"_Can_ you drive?" Kurogane asked him darkly. Fai laughed again and Kurogane had a sudden sinking feeling. He shook his head, disgusted. "Whatever. How hard can it be?"

"That's the spirit, Kuro-tan!" Fai said. He made a small sound of surprise as he pulled something out of his pack. It looked like a handful of small marbles, made all of clear glass. "Hyuu. That's unexpected."

"What is it?" Kurogane asked despite himself.

"Explosives." Fai picked one up between his thumb and forefinger and held it up close to his eye. "They're very rare here, from what I gather. This is probably the last of them. We'll have to be careful." He tucked them gently back inside the pack. "It looks like Edras Agra managed to get us some power cells, too." He pulled out a small square of black metal and took his gun off his belt, pulling off a part near the grip and replacing it with the new one. Three blue lights immediately brightened along the barrel of the gun. "We have three of these. Hopefully that'll be enough."

Kurogane opened up his own pack, staring inside. He reached in and pulled out something that looked a bit like a small silver canister.

"That will be perfect for you, Kuro-sama," Fai told him. "Press the red button. Oh, and point the end away from you."

"Which side is the-" Kurogane cut off sharply as his finger found the button Fai had indicated and a beam of red light shot out from the far end of the object. It was one of the laser swords he'd seen the fighters using the day before.

"Since Kuro-sama's sword is no good, I thought one of those might come in handy," Fai said, ignoring the glare Kurogane shot his way.

"What part of this is a damn sword?" Kurogane demanded. He swung it around experimentally, doing his level best to restrain himself from aiming it at Fai's head. It was lighter than his usual sword and the grip wasn't as good but he supposed there wasn't much choice. He didn't like admitting it, but the stupid magician was right. If Souhi couldn't cut through the metal hulls of the reapers, he needed something that would.

"Don't be such an old man, Kuro-rin," Fai said, patting him on the shoulder. "This is the wave of the future!" He reached around Kurogane's arms and pressed the button on the sword's hilt, causing the light blade to retract. "Though the future does require batteries, so I'd conserve those if I was you."

"This is why it's a damn ridiculous excuse for a sword," Kurogane stated even as he affixed the blade to his belt right alongside Souhi. "_Steel_ doesn't need batteries or crap like that."

"That's my Kuro-sama," Fai said, taking hold of Kurogane's pack and peering inside. "The future will leave you behind, Kuro-rin."

"Shut up," Kurogane grumbled, crossing his arms. "Is there anything _useful_ in there?"

"A little bit of food and two more of those swords," Fai said, handing him the pack back. "And this."

In his hands was something that looked like a black metallic pencil. Fai held it between both hands and it split in the middle, stretching open like a scroll. Instead of paper, however, in between the two halves there was a glowing green screen.

"A map," Fai said, staring at it intently and pressing at a couple small squares along the screen. The map changed and adjusted depending on where he touched. "It looks like whatever information Edras Agra was able to get about Little Brother, it should be in here. So!" He whirled back to face Kurogane, and Kurogane could _hear_ the smile. "Does Kuro-rin want to be the driver or the navigator?"

Kurogane looked over at the cycle, then back at Fai. He sighed.

"Come on, idiot. I'm driving."

oOo

The first thing Kurogane noticed as he carefully dragged the bike out into the open air was that the sky had gotten slightly lighter. The red scar seemed to be almost glowing and far in the distance the sky had grown a sickly red-orange.

"The fires from Centerpoint," Fai said, coming up behind him. He was looking down at the map again. "It's burning faster than expected."

"Can we make it to that citadel or whatever in time?" Kurogane asked grimly.

"We'll have to move fast," Fai said. "No sleeping tonight, Kuro-rin. We'd better leave now."

"Right." Kurogane threw one leg over the side of the cycle, glaring down at the myriad buttons and glowing dials as if doing so might scare them into making sense. Fai's hands slid unexpectedly around him as the magician leaned over his shoulder, dangling the white dog-faced mask in one hand.

"Mask, Kuro-tan."

"I told you, I'm not wearing that stupid-" Kurogane was cut off as Fai pressed on finger against his lips.

"No arguing this time, Kuro-puu," Fai said sharply in tones that demanded nothing less than absolute obedience. "You can't let anything see your face out there."

Kurogane stared at him for a long moment, suddenly overcome with the desire to rip the mask off Fai's own face just to see what sort of expression Fai was making under it. He gave a disgusted sigh instead and took the mask from the magician's hands, securing it over his own face. To his surprise, he was able to breath normally even without there being any hole for his mouth and his vision seemed to be minimally effected.

"Now, if Kuro-tan will just start the cycle…" Fai said, leaning back into the seat behind Kurogane.

"And vroom!" Mokona added from its spot securely tucked inside Kurogane's cloak.

"Vroom!" Fai agreed happily. Kurogane rolled his eyes and carefully pressed a button on the underside of one of the handlebars.

The motorcycle flew off like a shot, so unexpectedly that he nearly lost his grip and sent the whole thing flying into the side of a building. It took Kurogane a moment to get the stupid thing under control and then they were finally flying easily along the ruined streets.

"Daddy's such a good driver!" Fai cooed as he pressed himself against Kurogane's back, one arm snaking around Kurogane's waist.

"Shut up," Kurogane growled. "So? Which way?"

"Give me a minute." Fai pulled out the map again, holding onto it with one hand while the other remained securely fastened around Kurogane's waist.

"Why the hell are you holding onto me?" Kurogane muttered. "You didn't do that on the cycle before."

"You don't want me to fall off, do you, Kuro-rin?" Fai said, voice filled with exaggerated concern. "The other people in this country are used to these cycles and don't like it when passengers hold onto them. But I was sure Kuro-tan wouldn't mind at all, right?"

Kurogane snorted in reply and Fai laughed.

"I knew you'd understand, Kuro-rin." Fai held the map up to his face. "We need to make a left at the next streetlight. It's a little roundabout, but Edras Agra's tried to give us a route that makes us less likely to run into reapers. There's a reason they call this stretch of territory the Graveyard, after all."

They rode on in silence, save for Fai's occasional directions. The deeper they went into the city the more destruction they came across and more than once Kurogane found himself forced to take a wide detour around a completely collapsed building or circling to avoid a yawning sinkhole. The pavement grew increasingly more cracked and broken, and it was difficult to keep the cycle upright.

"Kuro-sama is doing a very good job driving," Fai said encouragingly as Kurogane just managed to navigate a tight turn and avoid a giant chunk of fallen building.

"This is a mess," Kurogane muttered. He suddenly began to slow the cycle.

"Kuro-tan?"

"Shut up," Kurogane said sharply. "I hear something."

The motorcycle slowed to a stop in the center of what looked to have once been a town square. Twisted streetlights encircled them like bent and broken trees.

"Mokona doesn't hear anything," Mokona said quietly.

"There's something here," Kurogane said in low tones. "All these stupid machines don't have any presence, but there's definitely something here."

There was the sudden sound of something scrambling away in the darkness and Kurogane's hand reached down for the light sword at his belt.

"Wait…" Fai grabbed his wrist. "We should try to outrun it first. I do hate to deprive Kuro-sama of violence, but we don't have time to waste fighting something that might let us go if we get past it fast enough."

With some reluctance Kurogane lowered his hand and revved the cycle back to life. Fai pulled out the map again.

"There's an entrance to more subway tunnels not far from here," he said. "If we can at least reach that, we should be safe for a bit. Turn left from here, Kuro-rin."

"Turn _where_?" Kurogane replied. "There's nothing that way but some kind of building."

"It was some sort of shopping center, I think," Fai said. "We should be able to use it as a shortcut. Go through the entryway, over there."

Kurogane glanced back dubiously but even so he carefully maneuvered the motorcycle through the entrance Fai had indicated. The building they were in seemed to be in fairly decent shape compared to most of the ones they had passed — the walls were still mostly intact and the tiled floor even in the majority of places. The building was made all of wide hallways with shuttered and empty storefronts lining the walls, the doorways boarded up haphazardly or simply blocked by caved-in entryways. The halls themselves were wide enough for the cycle to cruise easily through them.

They were just beginning to reach a decent speed again when the ground beneath them started to shake.

"Damn it, what now?" Kurogane growled, speeding up. All of a sudden one of the walls ahead seemed to split apart_,_ pieces of smooth steel changing and pulling apart like the yawning of a giant mouth.

An enormous blue eye made all of rusted sheet metal stared straight at them, and then the ground exploded.


	3. we found a way to escape the day

**The Bright End of Nowhere: **Part Three

oOo

Fai attempted to grab onto Kurogane's waist again as the cycle was thrown into the air but he couldn't hold his grip and in moments found himself hurtling through open space. He was thrown backwards through one of the blocked shop doors, the wooden boards splintering against his back, and landed hard against the ground. He felt a spike of pain as one arm twisted under him and he lay there for a moment, dazed. Dimly he thought he could hear Mokona yelling his name from somewhere. There was the sound of something heavy moving along the ground.

With a wince of pain Fai pulled himself into a sitting position. He had hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs and small sharp stings of pain were radiating up and down the wrist and hand that had been pulled underneath him. Fai dragged himself to his feet and staggered to the doorway.

Where the motorcycle had been moments before, there was only a giant hole in the ground.

"Kuro-rin!" Fai called out as he pulled his gun off his belt, shaking his head to clear away the fuzziness. He was dimly aware of blood running down his face and reaching up to touch the mask he felt a thin spiderweb crack running down the center of it. Fai allowed himself a small sigh of relief that it had at least not been cracked in two.

There was a sharp turn ahead of him blocking his view but Fai was certain that he could hear something beyond it. Fai tried to walk towards the sound, well aware that his steps were unsteady and weaving. The giant eye that had appeared in front of them seemed to be staring straight at him and Fai kept his head turned away from it.

A scream from above was the only warning he had to jump out of the way moments before something dropped down from the sky above him, claws tearing through the ground where he had been moments before, and Fai found himself face to face with a reaper about the size of a large horse. It appeared to be in the form of some kind of large bird of prey, its gray-black wings wide with sharp jutting feathers that might have once been a shining silver but were now dotted with rust. Its claws dug through the ground as if it was nothing more than soft earth beneath them as it snapped its beak with enough force that Fai didn't doubt it could easily snap his arm if it managed to get hold of him. Its eyes glowed with an abnormal orange light. Glancing upwards, Fai could just make out the gaping hole in the roof where it had entered the building.

Fai tried to raise his gun, wincing again as pain shot down his hand and wrist. His hand was shaking noticeably as he placed a finger on the trigger.

The reaper screeched at him, its voice hollow and deafening, and Fai barely had time to dodge and shoot as it went for him again. The laser blast sliced harmlessly past the side of the creature's mouth, barely scoring a line in the metal. The creature stamped its feet and the hatchway on its chest fell loosely open, needle-tipped cables dangling uselessly from it.

—_The long shadow of the tower stretched above him and everything was cold and dead—_

Fai shot at it again, biting his tongue to keep from crying out as his hand throbbed with pain. This time the shot hit where he'd intended, shattering straight through one of the reaper's shining orange eyes. It screamed again and darted up into the air, disappearing into the hollows of the ceiling. He could hear its wings shuffling in the darkness but in the dim light he couldn't make out its location at all. Even so, he had the distinct feeling of being watched.

Fai immediately looked around for cover. Standing there in the center of the floor he was the perfect target, but there was nowhere reliable to hide. Without any other recourse he ran for the spot where the hallway turned sharply to the left, hoping to find Kurogane. He had not lost hold of the map and they weren't far from the tunnels. As long as they could get outside and force the reaper onto open ground they could at least make a stand together.

Fai rounded the corner and skidded to a stop.

In front of him was an enormous reaper at least three times the size of the one he had just been fighting. This one had no wings, only a hulking back full of sharp spikes and a tail that waved around like a wrecking ball. Its shape seemed to be a mix of a giant lizard and some sort of digging machine, its claws long and curved, easily able to dig up giant chunks of the ground with each wide swipe. Its head swung about on a long neck, jaws opening and closing spasmodically with enough force to crush metal and stone beneath them.

There was a flash of light and the machine roared as it fell back, black oil seeping like blood from its shoulder. Kurogane stood on the other side of it, light sword flickering in his hands.

The reaper raised one of its clawed legs and slammed it down where Kurogane had just been, but the ninja was far too fast for it and the sword flashed out again. The blade sunk into the base of the monster's foot but didn't manage to go through enough to separate it from its body and Kurogane was forced to dive back to avoid the next blow. The creature's claws just missed Kurogane's shoulder and Fai could hear the ninja give a muffled curse as he reached up for his mask as if to remove it.

"_I'll find that person for you, and I will-"_

"Kuro-sama, don't!" For a moment Fai thought Kurogane hadn't heard him and he raised his gun, not certain even what he was aiming at. Kurogane's hand dropped away from the mask and he raised his sword to deflect another of the reaper's blows. Suddenly the reaper's body reared up and slammed downward into the ground, tearing through tile and metal as easily as a mole through soft earth. The force of its movement threw Fai's still-shaky balance off and he fell backwards onto the ground as the monster disappeared into the enormous hole it had just dug.

"Fai!" The call came out of nowhere and then Mokona was beside him, shaking his shoulder. "Fai! Are you all right?"

"I-I'm okay." Fai petted the white creature with his good hand as he sat up. "Where's the motorcycle?"

"Over there." Mokona jumped onto Fai's shoulder as he rose and moved towards where the cycle lay in an abandoned heap in the corner. Fai stumbled over to it, face darkening. Kurogane had apparently been unable to completely avoid the reaper's initial attack, as there were several deep slashes along the side of the cycle and a clear fluid was leaking from one of the cables along the back. They had lost one of the packs and the other was torn and slightly squashed.

"This is why you can't have nice things, Kuro-sama," Fai said with a thin smile as Kurogane walked over towards him. To Fai's relief the ninja seemed mostly unharmed.

"Will it still work?" Mokona asked in hushed tones as Fai ran a hand over the leaking cable.

"I have no idea," Fai said honestly. He had not let go of his gun and he noted that Kurogane still had his sword at the ready.

"That thing's still here," Kurogane said quietly as he moved to stand in front of them.

"I know," Fai replied coolly. "There's another one above somewhere."

"Can we get to cover?"

"If it was just the one above, maybe," Fai said. "But the one below will still be able to follow us. We can't risk letting it into the tunnels."

"Then we'll just have to get rid of it," Kurogane said and Fai could almost _hear_ the feral smile. Somehow he felt himself relax.

"This place is too cramped," Fai said as he pulled the cycle upright. "Climb on, Kuro-sama. I'll drive, this time."

"With that hand?" Kurogane asked, and Fai was glad that the ninja couldn't see his rueful smile. Of course Kurogane would notice something like that.

"I'll manage," he said with forced lightness. "You need to be free to fight, right? Let them chase us for a bit. We need to at least force them out where we can see them if we want to bring them down. Mokona, you'd better hold on to the map for me for a moment."

Fai settled himself into the driver's seat and waited for Kurogane to climb on behind him before grabbing onto the handlebars and starting the engine. The cycle was making a worrisome clicking noise, but the engine still seemed to be starting fine. In moments they were off at the fastest pace Fai dared to go.

"Mokona, does the map give you any idea of where the nearest exit might be?" Fai asked the navigator tucked close against his chest. Mokona wiggled itself forward, pulling out the map.

"Fai should be heading in the right direction," it reported.

"Good," Fai said as the ground began to shake beneath them again. "Because it looks like we're about to have company again. Hang on tight, Kuro-sama!"

He didn't even wait for a reply before leaning forward and pressing his foot down on the accelerator. The motorcycle suddenly put on a burst of speed and he heard Kurogane curse behind him as the ninja grabbed tightly at the bars to keep from falling off.

"I warned you," Fai laughed and Kurogane answered with something sharp that Fai couldn't even hear over the wind in his ears.

"Fai, behind you!" Mokona was prodding him insistently and Fai risked a quick look back. Behind them, the ground was being torn up in giant chunks as something just beneath the surface chased after them at impossible speed.

"Mokona, any sign of the exit?" Fai asked breathlessly, narrowly avoiding slamming the bike into another wall.

"The map says it should be just around this turn!" Mokona reported. Fai pressed on the accelerator again and slid the cycle sharply around the nearest curve, then just as suddenly forced it to a stop so quickly Kurogane was thrown forward against him.

"What are you-" Kurogane started to complain and then quieted as he saw what had caused Fai to stop. The exit they had been heading towards was completely blocked by rubble.

"Mokona, are there any explosives left in the pack?" Fai asked. Mokona quickly scrambled into the remaining pack, digging around.

"Any time now, pork bun!" Kurogane snapped. The sound of the underground reaper approaching was coming closer.

"Here!" Mokona's head peeked back out of the pack, holding onto one small marble.

"Be ready to throw it when I say," Fai said, starting up the cycle again and aiming straight for the blocked exit.

"Are you insane?" Kurogane groused from behind him. Despite the annoyance in his voice, he didn't sound particularly worried.

"Maybe," Fai sang happily. "Mokona, now!"

Mokona tossed the marble into its mouth like a piece of candy and then with a great gust of air sent it spinning forward towards the blocked door. It hit right in the center of the rubble and suddenly debris was flying everywhere. Fai pulled the cycle hard to the side, nearly turning it horizontal as they slid forward and through the now-opened exit and back out into the darkened streets.

"That worked better than expected," Fai said brightly. "So, what now, Kuro-rin?"

"We need to get it to come above ground," Kurogane said, glancing backwards. "I can't kill it if I can't see it."

"Your wish is my command, Kuro-tan." Fai abruptly swung the cycle back around, aiming for the doorway they had just come out of. The thin line of destroyed rubble that marked the monster's underground progress was coming nearer and they were on a crash course with it.

At the last possible moment Fai veered wide, swinging around so that he just missed the building as the reaper burst from the ground, obliterating the wall in front of them. Chunks of metal and concrete slammed into the ground around them and it was only Fai's quick reflexes that kept them from getting smashed. He swung the cycle into the nearest alleyway, accelerating once again. Behind them the monster quickly gave chase, smashing through anything in its path without even slowing down.

Fai burst out of the alleyway into what had once been some kind of roadway. Bridges and overpasses criss-crossed the area above them and Fai kept the motorcycle close against a twisted metal railing. The reaper came quickly along behind, its enormous claws tearing up the roadway as it went.

"Above!" Mokona's cry was the only warning Fai needed as he turned the cycle hard to the left moments before the flying reaper that he had nearly forgotten about swooped down from the sky, claws digging up the roadway just inches from where they were. Its claws dug uselessly at the railing and it screeched, taking to the air again.

"Well, at least they're both where we can see them now," Fai said happily to Kurogane, who grunted in reply. "Any other ideas, Kuro-sama?"

"If I can get above the big one I can get at it with my sword," Kurogane said. "The hide on that thing's claws and body is too thick to bother with, but if I can get a good shot at its neck this sword should be more than enough."

"Then we just need to get rid of our friend above," Fai said, swinging the cycle again to avoid another aerial attack. He aimed the motorcycle underneath a half-collapsed bridge as the bird struck again, its claws slicing into the rock as they slid safely beneath the bridge. Fai took advantage of the momentary safety to slow the bike and take stock of their surroundings. The bird machine had taken to the air again and couldn't be seen, but the other reaper was still smashing wildly through the road just behind them.

"Ah," Fai said quietly, a smile spreading over his face. "Kuro-rin, I think I've got a stupid idea again."

"What else is new?" Kurogane muttered. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "So? Let's go."

"That's my Kuro-rin," Fai said. "Hold on as tightly as you can, but don't let go of the sword. Mokona, you'd better duck back inside my cloak where its safe. This might get a little messy."

Without waiting for a reply, Fai gunned the engine again, sweeping the bike out from under the collapsed bridge. Almost immediately the bird reaper swooped down again, claws closing just inches away from Fai's head as the magician deftly swung the bike around to head back the way they had come. The bird reaper was close behind them, the wind screeching like a banshee as its wings cut through the air.

The second reaper swung its enormous head to face them, jaws opened wide. Fai's eyes narrowed as he pointed the bike straight for it, increasing the bike's speed as much as he dared. In a single clean movement he swung the bike into a hard right, turning it onto what had once been an off ramp leading up to another bridge. In a flash they had swept right past the giant reaper, running parallel to where it stood.

From above there was another screech and Fai glanced up to see the bird reaper diving straight for them. Fai bit his lip and swung the bike over the bridge railing, landing straight onto the giant reaper's back. At the same moment its enormous tail swung over their heads, slamming into the bridge where they had just been and hitting the bird reaper dead on, smashing it to bits.

"One down," Fai said cheerfully. "Kuro-sama, your turn!"

They were still on top of the giant reaper, Fai doing his best to steer around the spikes that dotted its back as he sped straight towards the monster's head. Just before they reached the neck he pulled the motorcycle hard to one side, sliding straight off the its back as Kurogane leapt from the bike, light sword in hand.

"_Hama Ryo-jin_!" Kurogane swung the sword down. There was a burst of light as the blade sliced straight into the reaper's neck, cleaving straight through the metal as if it was nothing more than normal flesh. The monster's body fell into a broken heap as Kurogane landed on the ground a few feet away, breathing hard. The sword was flickering noticeably in his hands.

"Cool, Kuro-tan!" Fai yelled appreciatively from where he and Mokona waited with the bike a few feet away, waving one hand in Kurogane's direction. The other stayed clamped fixedly on the motorcycle's handlebars.

"Cool, cool!" Mokona added, applauding helpfully as it clambered back onto Fai's shoulder.

Kurogane glared at them and placed the sword back on his belt as he approached the cycle.

"All right, move. I'm driving now."

"It's no problem, Kuro-sama," Fai said breezily. "I can take it from here."

Kurogane's hand clamped down on his right wrist and Fai was glad his mask hid the wince of pain that crossed his face. His hand was noticeably white underneath the mesh gloves and it was shaking slightly.

"Can you move it?" Kurogane's voice was cold and Fai didn't even need to see his face to know what expression the ninja was making.

"Not sure," he said honestly, because it really was no use when Kurogane had that tone of voice. "It would've been bad if I'd lost the grip while we were moving around, right?"

Kurogane snorted and reached over with surprising gentleness as he started to pry Fai's fingers off the handlebar, and even so Fai couldn't stop the small whimper of pain from escaping his lips. His hand was shaking badly by the time Kurogane pulled it fully off the handlebar and Fai clutched it close to his chest.

"Idiot," Kurogane muttered as he took Fai's place in the driver's seat. "White thing. Where are those tunnels or wherever the hell we were headed?"

"Not far," Fai answered as Mokona pulled out the map again. "I think we'll be fine now, Kuro-sama. We should keep moving."

"Shut up," Kurogane snapped. "I want to take a look at that hand of yours first."

"I'm fine," Fai tried again.

"I didn't ask you," Kurogane said, already starting the motorcycle again as Mokona jumped onto his shoulder and began to read out directions. Fai sighed and leaned forward to rest his head against Kurogane's back.

They drove off in silence and were quickly swallowed up by the darkness.

oOo

"Not broken, but it might as well be," Kurogane proclaimed darkly.

They had finally reached the safety of the tunnels. Unlike the earlier subway tunnels, these were located directly beneath an old building that had once been some kind of factory and had been created to transport goods rather than people. The walls were lined on either side by clusters of support beams and both the ceiling and floor were made of the same rusting gray metal. The air within was cold and stagnant, and unlike the extensive open subway tunnels from earlier, being inside these tunnels felt like being trapped inside a giant storage locker. As soon as they had gotten deep enough inside that Kurogane had felt they were safe from any patrolling monsters he had stopped the cycle and finally dragged Fai off of it to take a look at his injury. Removing the gloves had revealed that Fai's hand was already covered with quickly spreading bruises from the wrist up.

"Ah, I thought so," Fai said with a forced smile. Kurogane had removed his mask as soon as they'd gotten off the bike and had practically had to tear Fai's off to get the magician to remove his. It was enough trouble dealing with the stupid fake smiles as it was, not being able to see Fai's face at all only made things worse. "How does the bike look?"

"Scrap metal," Kurogane said with a snort. The motorcycle had begun making the weird clicking noise again as soon as they'd started it up and the sound had only gotten louder the longer they'd driven on it. By the time Kurogane had slowed it to a stop it had begun emitting some kind of foul-smelling black smoke. "We won't get any farther on _that._"

"Do we still have supplies left?"

"One pack," Kurogane said. He glanced over at where Mokona was digging inside their one remaining pack. "Well?"

"Mokona found bandages!" Mokona reported, pulling them out triumphantly.

"Not too tight," Fai said as Kurogane began to wrap his injured hand. "I still need to be able to shoot the gun."

"Don't be an idiot," Kurogane snorted. "You can't shoot that with one hand. If anything attacks us, _I'll_ take care of it."

"But your sword's not working so well, right?" Fai was smiling still, but his tone was sharp. "It was flickering when you killed the big reaper."

"Let _me_ worry about that."

"Mokona," Fai called, ignoring him. "Are there any other swords left in the pack?"

"Just these." Mokona rolled over the hilts of two swords, along with what looked to be the sole remaining battery pack for Fai's gun.

"We'll have to make it last," Fai said with a shrug. "You'll have to be careful with your sword from now on, Kuro-rin. We'll be in trouble if it dies before we can find Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun."

"_Can_ we make it?" Kurogane asked, eying him sharply.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Kuro-sama," Fai said with a shrug. He pulled out the map with his good hand. "It looks like these tunnels lead us near to where we want to be. As long as nothing's collapsed we should be able to follow them right to the citadel." He placed the map back inside his cloak and reached for his mask. Kurogane grabbed his injured wrist to stop him, ignoring the pained wince he received in return.

"Leave it off."

"You need to put yours back on too," Fai said, meeting Kurogane's eyes with a steady gaze. "We're not safe down here, either. Little Brother has eyes everywhere."

"Like the one we saw back in the building?"

Fai's face seemed to grow slightly paler but his serene smile didn't waver.

"Something like that. You don't want it to recognize you, Kuro-rin." He reached for the mask again, staring down at the hairline fracture that ran straight through the center.

"You keep saying crap like that," Kurogane said darkly, "but those other people you were with, most of them weren't wearing masks. Why is it so important?"

Fai paused, not looking at him.

"Mokona," the magician said at last, "why don't you go take a look at the tunnels ahead? Make sure they haven't collapsed."

Mokona glanced quickly between Kurogane and Fai and then nodded, hopping away into the darkness.

"It ate you, right, Kuro-sama?" Fai ran a hand along the three thin scars that striped Kurogane's arm. "It _remembers_. That's why we have to be careful, that's all."

"Don't give me that crap again," Kurogane snorted. "When I almost took the stupid mask off before, you started yelling. You don't usually do that. There's something more than just worrying about being _recognized. _And those things back there, they didn't even try to _eat_ us or whatever the hell you're calling it. They were trying to kill us._"_

"Little Brother hasn't been acting right since Mother was destroyed." Fai shrugged. "Time runs differently in different worlds, Kuro-pi. For all we know, Sakura-chan's feather didn't reach here until just that moment. If the feather has resonated with it then even a machine can act in ways it wasn't made for."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It only takes in dark things, Kuro-rin," Fai said slowly, eyes hooded. "That's all it was made for. Edras Agra said it was made for that, and that only. Even when Mother and the other Little Brothers went out of control and destroyed this land, they kept doing that, taking in the dark things, processing and discarding the rest. Even then, it shouldn't really remember. Dark things, dark thoughts, memories…that should be only data, not something it can recall, not something it can…change from. But if the feather changes that…." He shook his head as if trying to shake something away. "If it starts to collapse under the weight of what it remembers, then everything these people have told us about its reactions won't be relevant anymore."

"And what the hell_ is_ it remembering?" Kurogane asked, ignoring the sudden flash of fire and blood that cut through his mind. "It had you too, right? What the hell did it _remember_ from you, that you've barely taken that damn mask off since I found you?"

"Nothing you really need to worry about," Fai said, cheerful smile suddenly slicing its way back onto his face like a red scar in a darkened sky. "It's really nothing big, Kuro-tan."

Kurogane grabbed his arm again, pulling the sleeve back to reveal the old bandages.

"You didn't answer before," he said slowly. "How long did it have you?"

Fai's only answer was a calm, steady gaze and a cool smile as he pulled the cracked mask back on.

oOo

Sakura sighed and rubbed at the bruises on her arms as she stared hopelessly upwards. Despite her best attempts she was still trapped in the cage, unable to escape.

"You should just wait here." Sakura glanced up as the bird flew back into the cage, perching on her knee. "It's safest if you stay here."

"I can't do that," Sakura said, biting her lip. "Everyone's probably looking for me. I need to find a way out. Can't you help me?"

"I want to keep you safe," the bird said, its small orange eye staring up at her unblinkingly. "Don't you want to stay where it's safe, with me?"

"I'm sorry," Sakura said sincerely. "If I could wait with you I would but I really have to find Syaoran-kun and the others. They might need my help. Even if it's safe here, I can't feel safe if I don't know where my friends are."

"I have a friend too," the bird said earnestly. "He's just like me. He's all alone too, except for his wish. I'm going to help him grant his and then mine will be granted too, and I won't be alone anymore."

"You're alone?" Sakura held out a finger and the bird hopped onto it. "What about all the others up there? Aren't they your friends?" Above her she could see hundreds of small dark forms hopping amongst the wires and cables that covered the ceiling above the cage, tiny birds and mice and all manner of small animals, all made of silvery metal just like the bird in her hand.

"Those are all me," the bird said. "This entire structure, this is all me. I can make myself look like all of this. I don't know why. I used to just be one small thing, but then I found out that I could make everything move the way I wanted it to if I just tried. All I had to do was send it some of my information and I could make it a part of me. Now half this city is all part of me. But even though there's lots of me I'm still all alone. My mother and all my brothers are gone. That's why I'm waiting for my friend. He's different than anyone I've met before, just like you are. I'm sure that he understands me, even though I don't understand me. I don't think I was always this way, but I can't really remember."

"So you've lost some of your memories?"

"Something like that. It's not really _lost_…it's just that the things I remember are all flat. Numbers in sequence…surges of power…data, data, data, all quantified and stored, strings of code and numbers, numbers, processes that never stop..." The bird seemed to shudder in her hand. "It's like I was asleep, and now I'm not. I remember other things, though, thoughts that aren't mine. They don't process right, not the way they used to. I can't turn these thoughts into numbers. I can't recycle them. I made more of myself because I thought it might help, but it doesn't. I'm still all alone, I'm still all wrong."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with you," Sakura said, placing a hand gently on its head. "There's nothing wrong with feeling lonely. It just means you want to have someone by your side, that's all."

"I can't process that," the bird said. "I know there were others like me once, but I can't connect to them anymore. They were taken from me. I need to get them back, so that's why you have to stay here."

"I understand it's important to you," Sakura said. "But I really can't stay in this place forever. I have something I've lost too, that I need to get back."

"You're all bruised," the bird noted. "Why are you trying so hard to get out? Don't you want to stay here and be safe forever?"

"Because there are people waiting for me," Sakura told it, getting to her feet again. "Isn't there someone you want to see, no matter what?"

"I'm looking for him right now," the bird said, suddenly intent. "When I find him we're going to grant my wish."

"It's just like that for me," Sakura said, starting to climb to the top of the lamp again. "I have someone I need to look for, and because of that I can't just sit around. The people who are important to me might be in danger."

The bird hopped off her hand and sat at the bottom of the cage, staring up impassively as Sakura balanced precariously on the top of her stack. The bars were still there above her, just out of reach.

"This time for sure," Sakura said to herself. "This time, I'll make it."

Sakura took a deep breath and jumped.

Her hands closed over the nearest bar and she swung helplessly for a moment, gritting her teeth with effort as she willed herself not to let go of the bar. Slowly and painstakingly she began to pull herself through the top of the cage, arms shaking, just barely managing to squeeze through the hole between the bars. Sakura fell flat on her back at the top of the cage, breathing hard.

"Did it!" Sakura cheered quietly for herself as the bird hopped beside her.

"So you're out," it said curiously. "But what are you going to do now?"

Sakura pulled herself into a sitting position and took stock of her surroundings. Wires and cables surrounded her like a giant spider web, and there was no sign of any sort of doorway or exit.

"I can show you another safe place," the bird said. "If you won't stay in the cage. It's even safer than here, and there's another person like you there. Another one of me is watching him, to be sure he doesn't wander into anything dangerous."

"Another person like me?" Sakura said urgently. "Syaoran-kun? You know where he is?"

"Is that the friend you're looking for?" the bird asked.

"That's one of my friends. Is he all right? He's not hurt?"

"The other me thinks he looks all right, but we can't really tell how humans are," the bird said. "He still has his face. We haven't eaten him yet, because he's also needed. Do you want me to take you to him?"

"Yes, please," Sakura said. She wasn't sure exactly what the bird meant by 'still having his face' and 'eaten,' but if Syaoran was here then she definitely had to find him.

"This way, then." The bird darted forward into the tangle of cables and Sakura had no choice but to follow.


	4. heart with a gaping hole

**The Bright End of Nowhere: **Part Four

oOo

"We should be almost to the exit," Fai said encouragingly as they picked their way through the tunnels. They had left the motorcycle behind and Kurogane carried their one remaining pack over his shoulder. The only light underground came from the map, which glowed green even in the darkness. They had been walking for what seemed to be ages, all but lost in the labyrinth network of tunnels. Twice they'd been forced to double back after running into a spot where their path was blocked by rubble due to the roof collapsing above.

"About damn time," Kurogane grumbled from behind him. In the dim light all that Fai could see of the ninja was the bone-white mask. Kurogane had not put the mask back on without a fight, but in the end he had agreed only because Fai had refused to go any further unless the ninja covered his face.

Despite his fears, they had been safe the entire time they walked the tunnels. There had been so scuffling in the dark, no small voice whispering in the corners. Even so, Fai couldn't help but feel nervous. It was as if he was standing on the edge of a thick black cloud, just waiting for the storm to break.

"Fai! Kurogane!" Mokona's voice wafted back from where it had hopped ahead to scout. "Mokona found the exit!"

"_Finally,_" Kurogane muttered as he and Fai increased their pace. The tunnel began to slope gently upwards and at the top Fai could just see Mokona waiting for them in a square of light. As they got closer Fai could smell the acrid scent of smoke on the air.

They stepped out into an utter wasteland. The buildings in this area were not simply crumbling and old like in the rest of the city; they had all been completely flattened and ground into rubble. The ground was black with the remains of buildings, machinery and bones.

In the center of it all was a high black tower, surrounded by a deep wide pit.

Fai felt himself smile darkly and was glad that the mask kept Kurogane from seeing it. The tower itself was made of chunks of metal and wire of all different types, a mess of black and gray, as though it had been created by some giant insect gathering together every scrap it came upon and rolling it all up into a ball. Wide flat panes of glass dotted the sides of the tower like bits of a honeycomb and orange light glowed behind them. The tower itself was the single brightest spot in the entire city, the light spreading eerily over the wasteland that surrounded it. All over and around the tower there was constant movement as reapers of all shapes and sizes scuttled about, ranging from enormous ones similar to the one Fai and Kurogane had encountered at the building all the way down to small ones barely larger than Mokona. All of the reapers were wandering idly through the wasteland, picking up bits of debris and carrying them over to the tower and the pit.

Just beyond the tower the sky was a sickly orange red and smoke hung like a pall in the air. The electronic barrier that surrounded Eastpoint was barely visible, a small weak shimmer in the air, and Fai could almost make out the cracks in it where fire was beginning to seep through.

"We haven't got much time," Fai said. "That barrier's not going to hold much longer. Once the fire reaches us even the tower won't last long. We need to get inside and find the feather."

"How the hell do you plan on doing that?" Kurogane asked darkly. "I can't even see a damn bridge over that pit, much less a door."

"There should be some way across," Fai said, reaching out his good hand for Mokona to jump onto. The white creature was still holding onto the map. "The reapers are getting in somehow. They don't all have wings, so there must be an easier way across. Mokona?"

"There's something here on the map," Mokona said. The map screen had changed to a full image of the tower in bright green lines, like an architect's map. There was a small line leading from one side of the pit to the other on the eastern side of the tower.

"We need to get across this wasteland first," Fai said. "This looks like one of your specialties, Kuro-rin. Lead the way with your ninja stealth!" He patted Kurogane on the back and the cold glare he received in return was visible even through the mask.

"If we could take off these stupid white masks it would be easier to blend in," Kurogane noted. Fai just stared at him silently and Kurogane gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. Come on, and for once in your stupid idiot life, _be quiet._"

Pulling the black cloak a little further over his head, Kurogane carefully began to lead the way down the hill towards the wasteland with Fai and Mokona close behind. As soon as he stepped out of the tunnel onto the ground Fai nearly lost his balance as his foot sunk into the mess of scrap and debris.

"It's like walking in a damn _junkyard_," Kurogane muttered, clearly having the same issue as Fai.

"It wouldn't be so hard if _someone_ hadn't destroyed the bike," Fai said innocently.

"I'm not the one who nearly ran us straight into a damned monster," Kurogane snapped. "And it was _your_ idea to go into that stupid building in the first place."

"Kuro-sama's just mad because I was a better driver. Right, Mokona?"

Mokona nodded sagely and Kurogane turned away from them, muttering irritably to himself. Fai extracted his foot and half-stumbled, half-skipped after him.

Crossing the wasteland was a slow and difficult affair. More than once they had to throw themselves down into the mess of junk to hide from the reapers stomping past or flying low overhead. Twice a beam of light like a searchlight was emitted from the tower and they barely managed to avoid it by hiding in the shadow of the nearest large reaper.

"Is it looking for us?" Mokona said quietly at one point as they were pressed close behind a circular hunk of metal, waiting for the search beam to pass.

"I don't think so," Fai said with false nonchalance, and he was glad that he couldn't read Kurogane's expression any more than the ninja could read his. "It should pass in a moment. Just stay close, Mokona."

By the time they reached the spot marked on the map Fai's legs felt like lead and he knew he was probably going to have bruises for weeks. Kurogane was trudging ahead of him with dogged persistence, but Fai suspected the ninja was feeling just as tired as he was. The smell of smoke was getting thicker in the air and his eyes were watering behind his mask. Mokona had already ducked inside his cloak, one ear pulled over its mouth.

"So where's this bridge?" Kurogane asked.

"It should be close," Fai replied, swallowing a cough. "Wait…there."

A few feet away from them there was a thin pipe that stretched from one side of the pit to the other. A reaper was scrambling across it from beneath, its multiple legs moving along the pipe like an enormous spider clambering over a length of webbing.

"_That's_ how we're getting across?" Kurogane eyed it distastefully. Fai shrugged.

"Unless you have a better plan, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane gave a heavy sigh.

"This is such a _pain._" He approached the end of the pipe, eying it clinically.

"Can we get across?" Mokona poked its head out from beneath Fai's cloak.

"If we're careful," Fai said. "We haven't got any rope, Kuro-tan. We'll have to walk across on our own. Mokona, go first. Don't let go of the map."

"Mmm." Mokona nodded and jumped nervously onto the ground. The pipe was wide enough that it was able to hop across with relative ease, settling itself nervously on the opposite side at the base of the tower.

"You next," Kurogane said before Fai could even open his mouth.

"I thought I told Kuro-sama to lead the way," Fai said innocently. Kurogane's gaze didn't waver.

"If you fall, you won't be able to hold on well with that hand," Kurogane said, crossing his arms.

"So if I fall, you'll catch me, right?" Fai said with a wry smile. "How _heroic_, Kuro-sama!"

"Shut up," Kurogane grumbled, and Fai liked to think he might be blushing behind the mask. "I just want to get out of here as soon as possible, that's all."

"You really shouldn't be worrying about me so much, though," Fai said quietly, looking away from him. "It doesn't make things any easier, when you do that."

Without bothering to wait for an answer, Fai took a step onto the pipe.

It was just wide enough for one person to walk on at a time, moving one foot in front of the other like a tightrope walker without a net. Fai held out his arms to steady himself and slowly began to make his way across. He was dimly aware of Kurogane following along behind him, moving even slower due to the way the pack around his shoulder was affecting his balance.

Step by step, Fai made his way cross the pipe. The pit yawned beneath him, a wide stretch of blackness, and the wind seemed to be blowing harder and colder the further Fai walked. He tried to keep his eyes trained on Mokona's small white form on the opposite side but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the darkness beneath. He thought he could almost see figures below, splintered skeletons and bits of broken reapers lining the sides of the pit.

_A place where bodies never rot, where sinners are punished for what they have brought upon themselves._

Fai felt himself wavering and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He was too aware of Kurogane at his back, waiting for him as tried to force himself forward.

"_Do you want to get out? Out of there?"_

His arms itched beneath the bandages and Fai's lungs felt clogged by smoke. Mokona was nothing more than a white smudge in the distance, and Fai could feel himself faltering.

Kurogane's hand touched his shoulder. Solid, strong. _Real._ Fai breathed deep of his presence.

"I'm fine," Fai said, though he hadn't even the breath to force any semblance of cheer into the words.

"If you fall I will kill you, you idiot," Kurogane said warningly, and _that_ managed to make Fai smile.

"Then I'd better not fall, hmm?" Fai's feet were working again and he took another careful step forward. Almost there. Almost there. He could _feel_ Kurogane behind him, and the feeling seemed to clear all of the fuzziness from his head and the heaviness from his lungs. He didn't even realize he had crossed onto the other side until Mokona jumped into his arms.

"It's all right, we made it," Fai said, breathing hard as he patted Mokona's head. "That was fun, wasn't it, Kuro-tan?"

"I don't want to hear those kind of words from _you_," Kurogane said, and for the first time Fai noticed how hard the ninja was breathing. "So? How do we get inside?"

"I don't see a door," Fai said, scanning the side of the tower and ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that whispered that of course there wasn't a door, because there hadn't been one then and this had, after all, been made for his benefit. Fai shook his head to clear the voice away and turned back to look at Kurogane. "We'll just have to make one. Do we still have any explosives left?"

"One." Kurogane dug into the pack and pulled out one small glass marble. It looked too small in the palm of his hand. Fai took it from him and held it up to one eye.

"It should be enough." Fai walked over to inspect the side of the tower and Kurogane grabbed his wrist. Fai winced as the ninja's hand wrapped around his injured hand.

"Don't be an idiot," Kurogane said. "If you cause an explosion we'll definitely be noticed."

"Then you should get your sword ready," Fai said. "You've been waiting for something like that, right? And besides…" He turned back to the tower again. "We haven't really got another choice, Kuro-tan."

He placed the marble at the foot of the tower and took a step back as Kurogane sighed and pulled the light sword off his belt. He had already discarded the old sword back in the tunnels and the newer sword shone slightly brighter in the darkness of the tower.

"Stand back," Fai ordered, backing up himself as he pulled out the gun with his good hand. It was harder to aim with one hand but not as difficult as he'd thought it might be. Once they were a safe enough distance away he took just a moment to be sure of the aim before firing straight at the small glass marble.

There was deafening boom as the shot hit and the marble exploded. Fai found himself thrown backwards, stopped only from going over the edge of the pit by Kurogane grabbing his wrist and wrenching him back, Mokona held tightly by the ears in the ninja's other hand. Metal and debris rained down on them for a moment and there was a thick oil smell in the air. As the smoke cleared Fai could just make out a hole in the side of the tower.

"That was a damn stupid plan," Kurogane stated and Fai shrugged.

"But it worked, didn't it?"

"That doesn't make it less stupid."

They slowly approached the hole Fai had made. It was just large enough to be crawled through and peering inside all Fai could see was darkness.

"Mokona, you'd better go first to scout ahead," Fai said. Mokona nodded and hopped through the hole. After a tense moment its voice floated back to them.

"Mokona doesn't see any danger."

"Then we're coming through," Fai called back. He stepped backwards and held out an arm. "You first, Kuro-rin. Better give me the pack this time, you'll have a hard enough time without it. Kuro-sama should probably have tried to lose some weight before coming on this trip."

Kurogane snorted and tossed the pack at Fai without another word. With a heavy sigh Kurogane began to ease himself through the hole. It was barely wide enough to accommodate his broad shoulders but after a moment of struggling he managed to slide through. Fai took one last, long look at the darkness of the pit and then followed.

As soon as he stepped foot inside the tower Fai felt a chill run down his spine. The inside of the tower was nothing but an enormous empty cylinder, all too-wide spaces and too-high walls. The floor beneath their feet was coal black and uneven, cut across in all places by bits of sheet metal and pieces of machinery sticking up at odd angles. The windows dotting the sides of the tower glowed even brighter from the inside and the glass was frosted and translucent, masking the darkness of the outside almost completely. Everywhere there was the echoed sound of movement, metal claws and wings and feet scrambling along the sides of the tower or along the mess of the floor.

"So now what?" Kurogane asked, staring upwards. Following his gaze all Fai could see was a network of pipes, cables and tubes that criss-crossed through the center of the tower like an enormous black web. He could almost make out a pulsing glow coming from somewhere high above, nearly unseen through the darkness.

"Mokona?" Fai glanced over at the white creature, who was also staring fixedly upward.

"Mokona can feel it," Mokona answered quietly. "The feather is up there."

"How the hell are we supposed to get up there?" Kurogane muttered.

"There must be a way up somehow," Fai said, settling himself down onto a wide metal beam sticking out from one of the walls. Mokona hopped over beside him and held out the map. "Edras Agra should have put the most recent information he had on the tower in here….hopefully there will be some way up."

"Quiet," Kurogane said suddenly and Fai froze. Mixed among the general sounds of movement there was something larger and heavier, like the footsteps of an enormous beast. It was coming nearer.

"Can we hide?" Mokona asked softly, moving closer to Fai.

"Probably not." Fai reached for his gun with his good hand. "Kuro-sama?"

Kurogane didn't even reply, sword already in hand as he slowly stepped towards the sound.

Something black suddenly streaked through the air above them and Fai was knocked heavily back by the force of its approach as another bird-shaped reaper dropped down from above, aiming straight at Kurogane. The ninja was ready for it, sword flashing out just in time to cut through one of its sharp metal wings. The creature stumbled and fell back against a wall, single wing flapping madly as its jaws tried desperately to clamp onto something. Kurogane jumped back out of its range and then had to dive to the side as another reaper emerged from the darkness behind him, this one larger and heavier than the bird, shaped vaguely like some kind of enormous ox.

"Kuro-rin!" Fai pulled himself up with a wince of pain. Both his gun and the pack had been knocked from his grip and he looked around wildly for them both.

Kurogane didn't even seem to hear him, too busy trying to hold off both reapers at once. He sliced through one of the bull reaper's horns with his sword as the bird jumped for him again, its single razor-sharp wing just barely missing his face. As the ninja backed up again, trying to find a steady patch of ground, Fai could see that a thin hairline fracture had appeared through the center of Kurogane's mask.

Fai scrambled for his gun, wincing as he thoughtlessly grabbed at it with his injured hand. Taking a moment to steady himself, he aimed for the still-thrashing bird reaper and shot.

Nothing happened.

"Mokona, where's the other battery pack?" Fai turned towards where Mokona had dragged the pack out from underneath a small mess of debris. Immediately Mokona dived into the pack, pulling out the remaining battery pack. Fai pressed a button on the side of the gun and the old pack fell away. He reached for the new battery with his injured hand and pulled it back with a hiss of pain.

"Fai!" Mokona started to move towards him and Fai gestured for it to stay put.

"Stay hidden over there," Fai said sharply, forcing himself to grab onto the battery pack again. "I can do this."

His hand was trembling badly as he tried to fit the pack into the gun, and he couldn't stop himself from cursing quietly as he lost his grip and the pack slipped from his fingers. He glanced back towards where Kurogane was still fighting. The ninja's hood had been blown back by the bird reaper's desperate flapping and the cut in the mask was growing wider.

"Kuro-rin, get out of there!" Fai called desperately, even though he knew it was pointless.

"How the hell do you expect me to do that?" Kurogane shot back, the blade of the sword nothing more than a flashing blur of light as he held off both monsters. Fai dropped the useless gun into his lap and grabbed at the battery pack with his good hand, trying his best to fit the pack into the gun with only one hand.

There was the sound of something heavy hitting the wall and Fai turned again just in time to see Kurogane get pushed back against the walls of the tower, head slamming back hard against the cold metal. Kurogane stumbled momentarily before recovering just in time to raise his sword and slice straight through the bird reaper's one good wing. The bird fell backwards against the bull reaper and Kurogane's sword cut through both their necks in one stroke.

Fai dropped the battery pack with a relieved sigh as Kurogane turned towards where he and Mokona were waiting, looking only slightly unsteady on his feet.

One of the bird reaper's clawed feet jerked as he went by and Kurogane moved sharply to the side to avoid it. As he moved, the mask on his face finally cracked in two and fell at his feet, revealing his face.

The tower shuddered, and everywhere along the walls eyes opened.

Fai found himself unable to move for a moment, staring dizzily upwards as eye after eye broke through the walls of the tower. They were the exact same as the eye he and Kurogane had encountered in the building, enormous and artificial, made all of rusting sheet metal, blinking eerily out at them as if the tower itself was staring down at them.

Something high above _screamed_ and then there came a deafening echo of sound as things began to move in the shadows. Dark shapes were falling from the sky and the ground was trembling with the stamping of hundreds of feet.

Every reaper in the tower was seemingly awake and heading straight towards them.

In moments the spot where Kurogane stood was surrounded, reapers emerging from the darkness in front of him and behind, bird creatures dropping from the sky and others like the digger they had fought before bursting from the ground, bull-creatures charging out the darkness and even something long and thin like a snake oozing through the hole they'd made in the wall. They all swept straight past where Fai and Mokona sat without even pausing, all headed straight for Kurogane.

"Kuro-sama!" Fai yelled for him but heard no reply. He could just make out the swirling light of Kurogane's sword emitting from within the press of monsters but Kurogane's form itself was completely obscured. Fai scrambled to his feet, hand clasped on his useless gun. He reached for the battery pack with a trembling hand, forcing his fingers to clasp it as tightly as he could manage even as pain shot through him with every movement. He pushed the battery pack into place, hoping he'd managed to place it tightly enough even with no strength in his hand, and he fired into the press of creatures.

One reaper fell, laser blast slicing through its eyes, and another took its place almost immediately. Something small ran past Fai's feet and he looked down to see dozens of small black mechanical rats running past to join the other reapers that surrounded Kurogane.

"Stop it…" Fai breathed, panic rising in his throat and choking him.

"_Bring him here, and I'll kill him for you. Then our wish will be granted, right?"_

Fai took a shaky step back and felt smooth glass behind him. He was pressed up against one of the orange windows and it felt hot against his back. Fai stared down at the press of reapers in front of him. The gun fell from his hands and he reached for his mask.

"I said, stop it!" The command tore itself from his throat as he ripped the mask off, pulling down his hood to reveal his face.

Everything froze, and all the eyes in the tower turned to look towards him. Slowly the reapers began to back away into the shadows and Fai could just make out the dark form of Kurogane, half crouched and bloodstained but still alive.

Something exploded behind him and Fai didn't even have a moment to turn and look as the window at his back burst into pieces. Something wrapped itself around his arms and torso and he felt himself pulled backwards out the window towards the dark abyss of the pit.

As he fell back into darkness, Fai couldn't stop the bitter smile that crossed his face.

oOo

Sakura turned another corner, following close after the mechanical bird. She had long ago lost track of where she was going. The bird had led her through a dark tunnel of cables that sloped slowly downward until she had reached a small elevator that had taken her down even further towards the heart of the tower. She had been dropped off in the center of what she could only think of as a maze. It was made completely of black wires and bright orange glass windows that lined the walls, the ceiling and even the floor. Everywhere there were twists and turns, half-made walls and sudden stops and so many doorways that she was certain she would have been hopelessly lost long ago if not for the bird leading her on. It seemed to know exactly where it was going, leading her unerringly past dead-end corridors and through hidden doorways towards some unknown place.

The tower suddenly seemed to shudder and Sakura stumbled backwards. The floor was trembling beneath her feet.

"What's going on?" Sakura turned to look at the bird that was hovering awkwardly in the air before her, its head cocked slightly to one side and its single eye glowing bright.

"He's here," the bird said. "He's here to grant my wish."

All of a sudden the bird wheeled about, flashing past her head and back into the tunnels they had just passed through.

"Wait!" Sakura took a moment to regain her balance and then hurried doggedly after it. If she lost the bird now, she knew she might never be able to find her way out. It was moving faster than she would have expected and Sakura found herself quickly being left behind.

The bird flashed around a corner, out of sight, and Sakura lowered her head, putting on a burst of speed. She dashed around the corner and rammed straight into something, falling to the ground with a squeak of surprise.

"What…?" Sakura sat up dizzily, rubbing her head as she looked up to see what she had hit. In front of her, a familiar silhouette was lying flat on the ground. "Syaoran-kun!"

"Princess….?" Syaoran sat up groggily and Sakura noted the dark bruise on his forehead. She leaned forward to touch the wound gingerly.

"You're hurt." Sakura's worried eyes met his. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Syaoran assured her, relief clear in his voice. "I'm just glad I was able to find you. This part of the tower is like a maze." He placed one hand against the wall and stared around at the area surrounding them. "I've been trying my best to map it out, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how it's laid out. This is the only part of the tower that seems to actually have anything in it. The rest of the tower from what I could see seems to be completely empty and hollow. It's almost as if this part of the tower was made to protect something."

"I was imprisoned at the top of the tower," Sakura told him. "A bird led me down here."

"A bird?" Syaoran repeated, surprised.

"A metal one," Sakura said. "It was strange….it spoke to me, and it's voice sounded almost like a child's. It kept talking about being all alone and having a wish, and needing to get me somewhere safe. It told me you were down here, too. But it flew off all of a sudden…"

"There's something strange about all of this," Syaoran said thoughtfully. "We should see if we can find our way to the center of this place. If it's protecting something, that's where we'll find it."

oOo

"Kurogane!" Mokona's frantic voice was the first thing Kurogane heard as he forced himself dizzily to his feet. He was bleeding in half a dozen places and the sword in his hand was blinking in and out of existence again, the power nearly drained. He was surrounded by twisted and charred bits of metal, remains of the reapers he'd managed to take down before being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

"What the hell…?" Kurogane swayed slightly as he stumbled forward and looked around. He was still in the tower, but the eyes that had dotted the walls had disappeared without a trace. All of the reapers that had been attacking him seemed to have wandered away and the only other creature nearby was Mokona, hopping frantically up and down near a broken window.

Kurogane's eyes landed on Fai's abandoned mask and gun lying on the floor and memory returned abruptly.

"Damn it!" He ran to the window, leaning out into the air as he stared down into the deep black pit. He couldn't see anything down below except darkness. He glanced over at Mokona. "Did you see him fall?"

"Something grabbed Fai," Mokona said. "Mokona saw it pull him out the window."

"Then he's still alive," Kurogane said. He moved away from the window to dig into the abandoned pack, tossing aside his dying light sword and pulling out the last remaining spare. After a moment's thought he reached over and took Fai's gun as well, tucking it into his belt. "Good. I'm going after him."

"But how will Kurogane get down?" Mokona asked curiously. "There's no rope."

Kurogane cast his gaze around the wide room. His eyes fell on one of the downed reapers. The hatch in its chest cavity had fallen open and a tangle of long cables were spilled out in a pile on the floor. Kurogane made his way over to it and pulled one of the cables out as far as it would stretch, using his sword to detach it from the reaper's stomach. He held it tightly in his hand, considering. It wasn't quite as good as a rope, but it would have to do. Kurogane set to work detaching the rest of the cables, tying them together end to end.

"White thing," Kurogane said as he began to tie one end of the makeshift rope to a pipe near the window. "Do you still have that map?"

"Yes." Mokona held it out for Kurogane to see.

"Can you tell where the feather is?" Kurogane pulled on the cable to check the strength of the knot as Mokona inclined its head in a nod. "Good. Go find it."

"But-" Mokona started to object and then stopped upon seeing Kurogane's expression.

"That feather's supposed to be the only thing keeping the damn power on in this place, right? If you remove it, it should stop all those monsters from attacking. I'll take care of the idiot, so you find the feather and the kids."

"Right." Mokona nodded as Kurogane swung the cable out of the window. The far end fell down into the blackness of the pit and disappeared from view. "Will Kurogane be all right alone?"

"I'll be fine," Kurogane said, preparing to climb. "Just find the feather so we can get the hell out of here."

Without waiting for a reply, Kurogane slowly eased himself out of the window and carefully began his slow descent into the dark.


	5. lost in the pages of self made cages

**The Bright End of Nowhere: **Part Five

oOo

Fai's head hurt and he could feel blood dripping down his cheek. He swallowed a groan as he dragged himself into a sitting position, one hand going to his head.

Pain shot through his injured hand and his eyes flashed open. He was sitting in the center of a pile of bones and machinery, all covered with layers of sticky black fluid and dried blood. High walls loomed above him and he could only barely see the orange sky high above. The air smelled heavily of smoke and Fai found it hard to breathe.

"I've been waiting for you." The voice came from behind him and Fai turned slowly to face it. The pile of debris behind him was shifting and moving, fusing together from bits and pieces, scraps of metal becoming arms, thick wires twisting into fingers, cables becoming hair that fell back from a smooth metal face. A pair of wide eyes opened and stared up at Fai as the mouth twisted into an eerie echo of a smile. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere since those people took you away from me. You've come to help me, right?"

Fai didn't answer, unable to meet the figure's gaze. Little Brother pushed forward through the mess of the pit, its body seeming to emerge straight from the ground and moving through the debris as easily as a fish through water.

"We spoke, remember?" Little Brother's hand reached out to touch Fai's cheek, the fingers cold as death. "While you were with me." The fingers trailed down to touch the old bandages on Fai's arm, slicing through them with only a touch and revealing three deep scars in the flesh. "I'm so happy to see you again. You've brought _him_ to me, right?"

"No," Fai said softly. "You're wrong. That's not why we're here."

"But why else would you be here?" Little Brother cocked its head in a robotic imitation of curiosity. "You know what we have to do. Why else would you bring him so far, if you didn't want me to take care of things for you?"

"You don't need to do that," Fai said sharply. "It won't—it won't-"

_It won't grant your wish,_ and he couldn't bring himself to say it.

_It won't grant your wish or mine. But if even that won't grant my wish, what can? That is the only thing I'm here for. That's the only reason I'm still allowed to be here and alive right now._

"It has to," Little Brother said calmly, wrapping its arms gently around Fai as it leaned in close. "You understand how I feel, right? You're all alone too. Your most important thing was taken away, and you'll do anything to get it back. Right?"

"I…" Fai swallowed hard. "I will find a way. You don't have to do this for me."

"But this is what has to be done, isn't it?" Little Brother stepped back, spreading its arms wide. "See what I've made for you? This tower, this pit…I made myself into this for you. This is the memory that lives most clearly in your mind, isn't it?" Little Brother smiled again. "I saw it. I _ate_ it, and that was how I knew we were the same. I made this place just for you. We'll do what needs to be done, and then that man will appear again and let me have a wish too. Don't worry about the others. The princess is above, and the other one too. I'm holding them safe by my heart, so no one can touch them. All we need to do is take care of _him_ and everything will be in place."

"You don't-" Fai started again and Little Brother held up a finger to silence him.

"Look." It pointed off into the distance, towards the very bottom of the pit. "Here he comes."

Kurogane came into view, climbing a long stretch of cable to the bottom of the pit. He didn't even seem to see Fai and Little Brother perched along the far side.

"I'm using my lights to keep us out of sight," Little Brother said. "Isn't it fun? We can see him, but he doesn't even know we're here. His sword is in poor shape and even the ground he's standing on is part of me." Little Brother smiled and Fai felt cables suddenly curling over his arms and legs, holding him in place. "Now…let's kill him."

The ground beneath them began to move. Fai felt himself being lifted upwards by the cables wrapped around him as the creatures of the pit began to stir. Burnt and damaged husks that had once been reapers, missing legs or wings or sometimes even their heads, rising up from the pit and moving stiffly towards where Kurogane stood. Fai opened his mouth to say something, to give a warning, but his voice wouldn't come. Little Brother was leaning over his shoulder, eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.

Kurogane seemed to have noticed the danger approaching him and he turned with sword in hand to meet the monsters approaching him, sword flashing brightly and severing the first reaper to approach him in two. It fell to the ground in pieces and then the two separated halves began to force themselves up again, moving once more to attack.

"All my consciousness is focused on this place now," Little Brother whispered in Fai's ear. The cables were sliding over Fai's arms and legs as if alive. Three sharp needles dangled from the end of the one nearest to his arm. "I can make all of these move, even if all their processing units are destroyed. Everything here is _me_. He can't escape, ever. If he tries to climb back up, I'll strangle him with that cable."

"Stop it," Fai managed to choke out. One of the cables slid under his chin, around his neck, cold like ice. "I don't want this."

"Of course you do." Little Brother rose higher out of the ground, moving itself in front of him so their eyes could meet. "Just like me. You're all alone, just like me. Someone was close to you, so close. Just like my mother and all my brothers. We were all cushioned together in the same deep dream, just as you and your brother were the only two in that place. Even if I couldn't touch my precious people, I knew they were always there, with me. And then all the people of this country took them away." The cable around his neck tightened slightly. "I'll never forgive them. Never. I can't feel any of the others anymore. They've all been destroyed, every one of them. But I wasn't. I'm still here." Little Brother gave Fai another smile and the cable around his neck fell away. "Just like you. But you were taken out of that place, right? That person offered you a choice."

"You don't know what you're doing," Fai said. The smoke in the air was growing noticeably thicker and he was starting to feel lightheaded. "It's not….I didn't even know what I was doing then. I do now. Even if you kill him, it won't change anything. It won't bring them back."

"But even you don't believe that, right?" Little Brother said. "What do you plan to do, if not kill him yourself? You want that wish granted, don't you? I've been in your head. It's the thing you want most of all, isn't it?"

"I…." Fai had no answer to give. If he said the words out loud he would only be drowned under the weight of them.

"Wasn't it in your mind?" Little Brother continued. "If it will grant your wish, you'll kill with your bare hands, right? We'll defy logic together, you and I. We'll kill him and bring back our most important people. Just like you promised."

There was nothing Fai could say to that, no reply he could give. Kurogane was only a spot in the distance, fighting his way through the monsters that kept moving even as his sword sliced them apart. Even with the distance between them Fai could see that Kurogane was bleeding and that the movements of his sword were slightly slower than normal.

Kurogane was still fighting, looking for him, and there was nothing Fai could say.

If he said it, that would be the end of everything. He had to believe that there was a way for that wish to be granted, no matter the cost. It was the only thing he was living for now. If he said it, everything would be done.

And if he said nothing, Kurogane would die.

"This won't fix anything." Fai forced the words out. "You have to stop this."

"This is all for the sake of our wish," Little Brother said, cables stroking his arm, the needles drawing blood. "With this, we'll fix everything."

The sword in Kurogane's hand was growing dimmer and he could barely be seen beyond the press of reapers. Fai felt a heavy weight in his chest and closed his eyes.

"No," he said softly. "No, I don't think it will."

He jerked his arm backwards and let the needles sink deeply into his skin.

—_a high cold tower and a pit of corpses—_

—"_Choose. You or the other."—_

—_A girl's voice. "No matter how much I want to be with her, I will never see my mother again!"—_

—_Syaoran looking up at him, hair dripping wet and eyes serious. "You can smile. You can be happy. No one will blame you for that, Syaoran-kun."—_

—"_The clone that I have prepared"-_

—_A small cafe in the middle of a country of cherry blossoms and Sakura smiling at him, hands covered in flour—_

—"_You will go on a journey with the princess of the desert kingdom"—_

—_Kurogane, fighting at his back as rain poured down around them—_

—_Kurogane staring down at him, scabbard pointed towards him like a weapon. "It's not that you didn't die. It's that you _won't_ die."—_

—"_Because I too have been waiting. For the one who would take me along."-_

—_Yama, a night sky and a tent smelling heavily of medicine. Kurogane lying on a pallet, covered in sweat, blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his shoulder where the enemy's poison arrow went through. A dark night, and only Fai still awake. No one would realize, if Kurogane died during the night, if that death was from the poison or a pillow pressed over his face.—_

—"_If you should meet that boy….he's the witch's pawn. He will be a hindrance not only to mine…but to your wish as well."—_

—_That long dark night in Yama, watching Kurogane sleep. Fai's eyes close, and he _knows._—_

—"_If that child from Japan becomes an obstacle…remove him too."—_

—_I can't do it. Even for the sake of this wish, I can't do it.—_

—"_Why should you be hesitating over killing someone else?"—_

—_Why?—_

—"_If someone wants to take away the ones I want to protect, I'll kill them too."—_

—_Kurogane, always there at his back, at his side. Sakura's unfailing smile, Syaoran's unwavering eyes. Mokona on his shoulder, laughing.—_

—_I will find another way. There must be another way.—_

—"_Even if I must kill with my bare hands."—_

—_There must be another way. I will find another way. Because—_

—_because—_

—_because no matter what, I cannot, I _will not_—_

—_that is the one person I can't ever lose—_

—_because—_

—_even for the sake of this wish, this most important wish—_

—_I cannot kill that person._

Pain shot through him as the needles roughly tore themselves from Fai's arms and the world was drowned by Little Brother's angered scream.

oOo

The ground shook and Sakura barely managed to keep her footing, falling back against the wall. Immediately Syaoran was at her side.

"What was that?" Sakura wondered, steadying herself. The entire room seemed to be swaying, as if the structure they were trapped inside was suspended on a giant swing.

"I don't know," Syaoran said worriedly, eyes scanning the walls. Following his gaze, Sakura could see noticeable cracks spreading across several of the glowing windows. "If we could only find a way out…"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply when suddenly the room shook again, this time hard enough to throw both her and Syaoran to their knees. One of the windows just to Syaoran's right shattered into pieces and warm air rushed into the room. Syaoran risked peering out through the empty frame.

Below them there was nothing but darkness.

"We can't climb down," Syaoran said as Sakura helped pull him back inside.

"There has to be another way out," Sakura said. "I'm sure that bird was leading me here for a reason."

"Sakura!" Something small and white suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaping into her arms. "Syaoran!"

"Moko-chan!" Sakura cried out in surprise, holding the white creature close.

"Mokona, how did you get here?" Syaoran asked.

"Mokona followed a tunnel on the map and came out from above." Mokona pointed upwards. Just above them there was a small opening in the roof.

"You have a map?" Syaoran said, surprised.

"Fai gave it to Mokona." Mokona pulled out the map and held it out for Syaoran to see. On the screen was an image of the tower, but it was strangely fuzzy and kept blinking in and out of existence.

"You found Fai-san and Kurogane-san?" Sakura said urgently. "Are they all right?"

"Fai got pulled into the pit," Mokona said. "Kurogane went after him and sent Mokona to find the feather above."

"A feather!" Syaoran and Sakura exchanged glances.

"There's a feather here, Moko-chan?"

"Mokona can feel it," Mokona said, nodding. "The people of this country said that the thing controlling this tower shouldn't be able to move without a power source, but the one it was using before shouldn't be working. Fai had Mokona and Kurogane come here because he thought it had to be the work of the feather."

The room shook again and another window shattered into pieces, this one directly above Sakura. Syaoran threw himself over her and Mokona, glass shards raining down onto his back.

"What's going on?" Sakura said over the gust of wind that blew inside. "Syaoran-kun, you're hurt!"

"I'm fine," Syaoran said, pulling a piece of glass from his shoulder with a wince. "There must be something going on outside. There's something strange about this tower. When we landed here it looked different, more like a citadel, and the inside was filled with rooms and hallways. But when it started to change form it became completely hollow, except for this place."

"When I was following the bird," Sakura said thoughtfully, "I noticed that sometimes we'd seem to be heading for a dead end and then suddenly there would be a pathway there."

"Somehow this building is changing itself," Syaoran said. "Mokona, what sort of thing _is_ in control of the tower?"

"Fai said it was called 'Little Brother,'" Mokona said. "He said the people of this country built a big computer called Mother and then put a Little Brother in each city."

"A computer…" Syaoran repeated. "Did they show you what it looked like?"

"No. Fai only showed Mokona and Kurogane a picture of a big citadel. He said that was the only picture all this country's people had of it."

"So the computer is in this tower?" Sakura said.

"No," Syaoran said slowly as realization dawned. "I think…I think this tower _is_ the computer. Somehow it's able to change its form to whatever it wants to be. The feather must be hidden somewhere inside the tower itself, somewhere connected to the rest of the tower where it can send power to everything around it."

"The bird said it was taking me into its 'heart,'" Sakura spoke up.

"That must be where we are now," Syaoran said. "It doesn't make sense that the rest of the tower would be hollow except for this place. It must be some kind of….protective cocoon, created to make its heart difficult to reach. The feather must be hidden somewhere in the middle of these tunnels. Mokona. You can feel it, right?"

"Right," Mokona said. It paused, looking around for a moment before pointing. "I think…that way."

"All right." Syaoran got to his feet and gave Sakura an encouraging smile. "Let's go. We need to find that feather."

oOo

"Liar!" Little Brother's voice was thick with rage and suddenly the coils wrapped around Fai's body loosened and he fell heavily to the ground, landing hard in the middle of a pile of debris. Dimly he was aware that the press of monsters surrounding Kurogane in the distance had begun to move in a slow, weaving fashion, as if their power was being sapped. The debris below Little Brother's feet was beginning to writhe and shake, as if moved by some great swell of anger from beneath.

_It can only focus its will on so many things at once,_ Fai realized. _In this state, it can't control all those other monsters at the same time._

"How could you?" Little Brother loomed over him, eyes glowing a burning orange to match the sky above. Sharp metal spikes were rippling along its arms, driving down into the ground inches from Fai's head. "Don't you understand? It's your wish too! How can you give it up so easily?"

"I'm not giving it up," Fai said. His voice sounded hoarse in his own ears and his throat felt choked by the smoke settling in the air. "But I can't kill him."

"You promised!" Even with the entire tower shaking with Little Brother's anger its voice still sounded like a petulant child's. Fai felt a laugh bubbling up in his throat.

"I know," Fai said, reaching his good hand up to touch Little Brother's face. The metal felt hard and cold against his fingers. "But I can't kill him. Even for the sake of this wish."

"It won't stay this way, you know." Little Brother's hands were moving now, wrapping around his throat. Cables and bits of wire crept along its arms. "I've been in your head. I _saw_. The pit and the tower, the child who fell from above. The promise you made. I _saw_ them. I _felt_ it. You were just like me. You had someone precious, and they went away. Even with all those other memories — worthless, stupid memories, of a journey that's all a lie, all a lie and you know it, you _know_ it — you still always have that place foremost in your mind. That's why I ate it, and I saw."

Its grip tightened and spots danced in front of Fai's eyes, but he couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare up into the twisted metal face and artificial eyes that burned with something more than artificial fire.

"Stupid human sentiment," Little Brother hissed and for a moment the child's voice was gone, replaced by nothing more than a hollow metal echo. "It won't change anything. It won't. They'll find out what you're hiding and then you'll have to _choose_, and you won't choose the right thing, won't choose the right wish." Little Brother's face twisted into a smile. "But I will. I'll kill that person right here, and kill you too. Then I'll take the princess and that clone and I'll do what you couldn't. I'll get my mother back and all my brothers. Even if I have to take every part of myself and change it and twist it and _destroy_ it, I'll still succeed. I'll have that wish granted. I won't be weak and I won't lie. I will see my wish granted."

Its grip tightened, fingers digging into the flesh at Fai's throat, and even as everything grew dim Fai couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Bright light flashed in front of his eyes and then Little Brother's grip weakened as the metal body broke apart into pieces and fell into a pile of charred scrap at Fai's feet. Fai gave a shuddering gasp and dragged himself into a sitting position as Kurogane moved to stand beside him, the sword he'd used to cut Little Brother in two still held tightly in one blood-stained hand.

"Good timing, Kuro-rin," Fai managed to choke out, smile still shaky on his face.

"What the hell was that?" Kurogane asked, poking at the remains of Little Brother with the tip of the light sword. His eyes were calm and cold as he stared down at Fai. "What is going on here?"

"How would I know?" Fai said with forced cheer, shrugging. His legs felt shaky and he didn't dare try to stand.

"Don't give me that crap," Kurogane snapped. "Your arms are bleeding. Why was it after you?"

"It was made to take away bad dreams, Kuro-sama," Fai said softly, staring down at the bloody scratches that ran down his arm. "I suppose it's just that I had some very bad ones, that's all."

He could feel Kurogane staring down at him in silence, and Fai couldn't bring himself to look up.

The ground beneath them suddenly shifted sharply, nearly throwing Kurogane off his feet. Fai scrambled for a handhold as the scraps of metal and debris beneath him fell away abruptly and it was only Kurogane's rough hand on his arm pulling him backwards that kept him from falling into the darkness that had suddenly opened up below him.

Two deep black holes like eyes appeared along the sides of the pit. Fai struggled to his feet, falling back against Kurogane as an enormous mouth opened up below them and suddenly the air was filled with an ear-piercing scream.

"What the hell—" Kurogane's angry curse could barely be heard over the deafening sound.

"Traitor—liar—_traitor_—" It was Little Brother's voice, magnified a thousand times and twisted by anger and betrayal. The pit roiled beneath them like an angry serpent as the corpses of more reapers arose from the mess. Unlike before, these were human-shaped, twice the size of Kurogane at least, with long arms made of twisted cable and wire and eyes that burned with orange fire. They seemed to appear out of every corner of the pit, climbing out from even the dark abyss of the screaming mouth. As Kurogane readied his sword, Fai noticed that the blade was flickering madly and there was some definite damage to the hilt.

"Here." Kurogane pulled something off his belt and tossed it to Fai, who caught it in his good hand. It was the gun he had left lying back in the tower.

"I think a retreat may be a better idea in this case, Kuro-sama," Fai said even as he shakily aimed the gun at one of the approaching machines.

"Retreat _where?_" Kurogane grumbled. "There's no way out of this damn place. We'll have to fight our way out."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Fai said with a sigh. Kurogane gave him a grim smile and Fai found himself returning it without even a moment's hesitation.

Turning so that he and Kurogane stood back to back, Fai raised the gun and fired.

oOo

The tower was shaking again and Sakura gave a small cry of surprise as Syaoran pressed himself over her and Mokona at the same moment that two more windows exploded in a burst of glass.

"That one was too close," Syaoran murmured. One of the windows that had broken this time had been just below Sakura's feet only a moment ago. Sakura pressed a worried hand against his arm, which was bleeding slightly from where a piece of glass had been embedded.

"What's going on outside?" Mokona asked worriedly.

Before Syaoran could reply the orange lights that had been illuminating their way abruptly went out and they found themselves shrouded in darkness. There was the sound of breaking glass from nearby and the room listed abruptly to the right, pressing the three of them against one wall.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura ventured nervously.

"It's all right," Syaoran assured her. "I don't think that window was nearby. We just have to move carefully, in case there are broken spots in the floor. Are we getting any closer, Mokona?"

"Mokona thinks so," the white creature replied. "But there's a lot of power moving all around this part of the tower, it's hard for Mokona to tell exactly where the feather is."

Something flickered along the edges of Sakura's mind and she looked up abruptly. Off in the distance she could see it: the smallest spark of glowing orange.

"There." She was standing before she even realized it, walking towards the light. Dimly she heard Syaoran and Mokona call out to her, but her feet wouldn't stop moving as she reached towards the light.

A wall slid shut behind her and suddenly she found herself standing in a brightly glowing circular room. There was no sign of any doorway though she knew that she must have come through one. All manner of buttons and switches covered the walls, which were criss-crossed with hundreds of wires of varying colors and sizes. Small bright bursts of energy seemed to be running along them, disappearing through the floor and the ceiling.

In the center of it all was a small raised platform and a glowing orb containing a single feather.

Sakura stepped towards it and something shifted by her feet. Looking down, she saw the familiar form of the mechanical bird. Its head was down and its eye was closed.

"I was in a deep, long dream," the bird said softly. "In my dream I was surrounded by four others, ones who were just like me, even though I'm different than all of them. We were all connected together like that. It was somehow sad, but still a very warm dream too. I knew that there was something about me that was different than all of them, but I didn't mind because I was just so happy that they were there. And then suddenly they were all gone. Everyone was gone." Its eye opened and stared hollowly up at her. "What did I do wrong? Why am I the last one left?"

Sakura knelt down beside the bird, pulling it into her arms.

"I'm sorry," she told it sincerely. "I think some of that is my fault. You probably weren't supposed to be like this. It's because my feather's here. I'm sorry you had to feel alone because of that."

"Where did they all go?" the bird wondered. "Why can't I bring them back? It's something anyone can wish, isn't it? All I wanted was to be with them."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said again. "I wish I could bring them back for you. You shouldn't have to feel like this."

"I wish I could just go back to sleep," the bird said. "If I can't have them back, I just want to be what I used to be again. I don't want to be awake like this, if I have to feel this way."

"I can take the feather," Sakura said, getting to her feet, the bird still held tight in her arms. "I know it won't fix things, but it will let you go back to sleep again. It will have to be a long sleep and…and I don't think you'll wake up again. I'm sorry I can't do more."

"But you can make me like I was?" the bird pressed. "You can let me be like my mother and my brothers were?"

"If I take the feather," Sakura said, nodding. She slowly approached the platform. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes." The bird closed its eye again. "Please. I just want to sleep."

Sakura took the last step towards the platform and reached out a hand. The feather floated over to her and disappeared inside her body.

—_a burning building and ominous shadows dancing on the walls—_

—_a cold empty room and something large and metal sliding through the darkness—_

—_a hundred bad dreams and haunted memories, of people and places she had never seen—_

—_and at the end of it all, a high cold tower and a pit of corpses, and a child crying—_

Sakura's eyes closed and she fell forward into a bright orange light.

oOo

Another reaper fell into pieces as a bolt from Fai's gun sliced through its head. It began to stir again at his feet and Fai aimed and shot again, breathing hard. His finger twitched on the trigger and there was only a hollow clicking sound.

Fai grimaced and dropped the gun, backing up further so that he was standing directly beside Kurogane. The ninja had already thrown away the broken and depleted light sword and was trying to hold off the approaching horde with only Souhi.

"I…think we may a have….little problem, Kuro-sama," Fai panted. His hand was throbbing in pain and he felt light-headed and dizzy. The air had grown gray and heavy with smoke, and Fai could smell something burning in the distance. The fire had broken through the barrier at last.

"Shut up," Kurogane growled even as he was pushed back by another machine. Fai took another step back and felt cold metal behind him. They had been pushed all the way back to the base of the tower. "Is that cable still there?"

Fai nodded, pressing his uninjured hand against it.

"Good. Climb out of here."

Fai's eyes widened for a moment in surprise and then he smiled ruefully, shaking his head.

"Not with this hand, Kuro-rin," Fai said, holding up his injured hand. It was shaking noticeably. "And besides, I couldn't possibly leave you to enjoy the company of our host by yourself, could I?"

"Hmmph." Kurogane snorted but Fai could see the slight smile on his face.

"Liars—traitors—_murderers_—" The entire pit shook with the force of the words and the humanoid figures approaching them seemed to grow and twist even larger. Their eyes were burning a bright orange to rival the flames in the distance. Kurogane glanced grimly back at Fai.

"I don't suppose there's anything _you_ could do about this?" he muttered. Fai gave him a thin smile and shook his head. Kurogane gave a heavy sigh and readied his sword again. "This is such a _pain._"

"I'm sorry our impending deaths are such an inconvenience for you, Kuro-tan."

"What the hell is that?" Kurogane didn't even turn to look at him. "I'm not planning on dying here, and you had better not be either."

Without even waiting for a reply Kurogane strode forward to meet the oncoming attackers, placing himself between them and Fai.

Fai swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling dry. He pressed a hand against the cold metal wall of the tower and felt something moving. Glancing down, he saw small eyes dotting the wall, staring up at him.

_This is your choice, right? _

"_It won't change anything. It won't. They'll find out what you're hiding, and then you'll have to_ choose_, and you won't choose the right thing, won't choose the right wish." _Little Brother's voice echoed in his head. Fai closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He raised his one good hand and prepared to write a word in the sky.

All the lights of the tower went out and with a great groaning creak that sounded almost like a scream all the reapers facing them crashed into a heap of scrap metal, their eyes growing abruptly dark.

"What…" Kurogane whirled to look at Fai, who shook his head.

"Don't look at me, Kuro-rin." He glanced upwards. The entire tower had gone dark, lit only by the orange reflection of the approaching flames. "I think Mokona and the others must have found the feather."

Kurogane stepped over to one of the fallen reapers and pressed his sword against it warily. It remained where it had fallen, nothing more than a twisted piece of metal. He glanced upwards at the glowing flames above. The sides of the pit seemed to have grown even steeper and were now dotted with sharp hunks of metal and debris, all the remains of the hundreds of reapers that had come after them.

"We need to get out of here," Fai said urgently, covering his mouth to stifle a cough. "The fire's gotten too close. We can't stay out here much longer."

"Then we'll have to climb back up." Kurogane walked over and grabbed hold of the cable he had used on the climb down. He tugged on it experimentally and it abruptly came apart in his hands, one end burned straight through. Kurogane threw it to the ground in disgust.

"There's no getting back up that way," Fai murmured. Staring at the tower looming high above him he was starting to feel something dark and heavy settling in his chest, like the remains of an old memory.

"We'll go up the sides, then," Kurogane said, striding forward. Fai reached forward and grabbed his wrist without even thinking.

"Too steep." His mouth seemed to be moving without him being aware of it, and Fai wondered if this was what drowning felt like. "You can't get out that way. Nothing—nothing can get out of here."

Kurogane stared at him for a long moment and Fai dropped his hand away, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Screw _that_." Kurogane reached out then and grabbed Fai's wrist roughly, pulling him forward. "I'm not just standing around here to die. Come on. We're getting the hell out of here."

"But-" Fai started to pull away and Kurogane didn't budge, all but dragging him.

"Shut up," Kurogane snapped. "I told you before: no one's dying. Not here, not today, not while I'm still alive. I don't know what the hell's been up with you the whole time we've been in this damn world, but you're snapping out of it right now. If you're just going to give up, I'll kill you myself."

—_because no matter what, I cannot, I _will not_ lose that person-_

Fai stared up at the sky and managed a slow shaky nod.

"Then I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I, Kuro-tan?"

"That's right." Kurogane's tone was cold but he was smiling.

They began to slowly make their way forward as the smoke in the air grew thicker with each passing moment. Fai's lungs felt like they were on fire and he pulled his cloak up high over his mouth, trying to filter some of the worst of the smoke.

There was a great rumbling noise behind them and Fai turned back to stare at the tower. It was starting to sway.

"Kuro-sama!" Fai called out a warning and then threw himself to the side as a chunk of sheet metal sliced through the ground inches away from where he had been moments before. He scrambled into a crouch, exchanging a wide-eyed glance with Kurogane.

"Now what?" Kurogane demanded, and Fai couldn't help but feel buoyed by the ninja's usual demeanor of treating life-threatening danger as just another thing created to be a bother to him.

"The tower's falling apart," Fai said, amazed at the calmness in his own voice. "We'd better move faster."

Kurogane seemed to be about to reply when an orange light flared to light above them. Something was moving towards them from above, something large and glowing brightly.

"Fai! Kurogane!" Mokona's voice carried down to them over the rumbling of the tower and Fai could only stare as the thing above came into focus: an enormous bird-shaped reaper, flying down slowly but steadily into the pit. Syaoran and Mokona sat on its back, an unconscious Sakura lying in Syaoran's lap.

"Mokona! Syaoran-kun!" Fai waved at them as the bird landed just a few feet away. "Good timing!"

"We were lucky to get out of the tower," Syaoran said breathlessly as he gingerly lifted Sakura into his arms and slid off the bird's back. Its eyes were a bright orange that seemed to be dimming with each passing moment. "We were looking for the feather when the Princess got separated from us."

"All the windows broke," Mokona added. "Syaoran and I started to fall, but then we were caught by the bird." It looked back over at the reaper, which was still standing stock-still behind them. "Sakura was already on its back, asleep."

"She must have found the feather," Fai said. "That was the only thing keeping this place working." He pressed a gentle hand against Sakura's forehead and paused, noticing something wrapped in her arms. "What's…" Fai's good hand touched her arm and suddenly Sakura's crossed arms fell open and something small fell to the ground. Fai bent down to pick it up.

It was a small mechanical bird, its single eye dull and dead.

"We need to leave," Syaoran said urgently from behind him, and Fai could feel Kurogane's gaze on his back. Gently he laid the bird back down on the ground, pulling off his black cloak and laying it over the small creature before turning to face the others with a smile.

"I think that sounds like a good idea," he said brightly. "This place isn't safe to be in any longer. Mokona?"

"Right!" Mokona leapt into the air as wings sprouted from its back.

As they began to be pulled into Mokona's mouth, Fai turned to give one last look at the crumbling tower.

_There has to be another way to grant that wish. I will find another way._

Fa closed his eyes and let the world disappear behind him.


End file.
